Abstract:

Based on the discussion of the peasantry in Cato Young's early theory(1927-1937), this paper attempts to show that through the translation of his theoretical foundation according to Butterfield and the Rural Life Movement, Cato Young constructed his own theoretical image of the peasant based on the archetype of the "propertied farmer" of rural North China. In his view, these farmers tried their best to maintain a life "balance" in their day-to-day life and work, while the emotional fluctuations caused by the lingering "daily troubles" constantly shaped their practical mentality and therefore planted the seeds of innovation in it. Cato Young saw in this type of peasant the potential for local autonomy and industrial modernization, and thus proposed a vision of political reform and economic development programs based on this subject. This emphasis on the subjectivity of the peasants in fact continued an intellectual undercurrent in modern Chinese intellectual history, which had taken the "people" as the main subject in examining the state system. It also provided a theoretical basis for a dialogue with the modern tradition of peasantry. This paper argues that this image of the peasant in Young's early theory is noticeably localized and it can provide a new perspective for understanding peasant life and rural practice in contemporary China. In addition, by examining three theoretical "mistranslations", this paper analyzes the Western origin of this peasant image and Cato Young's efforts to localize it in the process, thus contributing to the construction of a broader theoretical communication foundation for early Chinese sociological theory.

Key words: Cato Young, peasant image, North China, homesteader, peasantry