Chinese Journal of Sociology

General Social Emotions from the Perspective of National Governance

ZHANG Yan, LI Hanlin

2024, 44(2): 1-35.

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The paper explores general social emotions in society in terms of its concept and methodology，operationalization and influencing factors. Herein，general social emotions is regarded as a relatively consistent collective expression that is dispersed among different social groups and can easily resonate and be shared. It is relatively stable beliefs，spirits and values formed on the basis of social cognition，social identity and behavioral orientation. The structure of general social emotions is mainly composed of social cognition，identity and behavioural orientation and is operated through satisfaction，social trust and social confidence，while the function of general social emotions is mainly represented by social integration and structural maintenance. General social emotions is always embedded in social structure. The duality of structure is manifested in the fact that social behaviors guided by general social emotions not only maintain but also change structure. It has a restrictive effect on human behavior and also serves as premises and conditions of behavior. The paper also discusses the research methodology of general social emotions from three aspects of comparison，micro-meso-macro connections，and deduction from individuality to collectivity. The paper emphasises that by accurate grasps of general social emotions，national governance can avoid superficiality at the micro-level and gain true insights of people’s subjective feelings. At the macro level，it can closely link individuals，the state and society，and eventually integrate and embed itself in social structure. The process of governance is the construction，deconstruction and reconstruction of such general social emotions. The effort to understand our time and society through general social emotions and use it as a policy tool for national governance has important academic research and policy inspiration value.

Interactive Construction Between Overseas Views of China and Chinese Cultural Subjectivity Narration

WU Huanyu, ZHU Jiangang

2024, 44(2): 36-60.

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By analysing the legend of Dean Lung derived from the Dean Lung Lectureship in Sinology event, this paper finds that the important construction nodes of its historical narrative can be mostly placed in the intersection between the China Fever in the United States and the trend among Chinese intellectuals to construct their own cultural identity. A series of interactions reveal how the international order prior to the Opium War played a dual role in the modern era： for China, it became a central Chinese complex， symbolized by Confucian Civilization; for the West， it was transformed into positive Orientalism， symbolized by Confucian China. The dialogue between the two in the construction space of Dean Lung’s legend， with their different developmental forms， constitutes an interactive interpretation， which clearly represents the symbolic imagination of “What is China？” in the course of modern Sino-American communication. In this regard， the interpretations of Chinese civilization produced by intellectuals are also enveloped by the established historical structures of cross-cultural interactions. This reveals that the vertical introspection and horizontal communication of “cultural consciousness” are actually a dynamic system of continuous dialogue across time and space that complements and constructs each other. The selection of positive China symbols for expressions may generate goodwill and interest toward China from other cultures and even the international community but also， to some extent， narrows the space for people to imagine China and limits the possibilities of knowing the real China. Once aware of this， scholars will be better placed to understand and master the key to the cultural exchange. It will also help us to tell the story of China and the world with a broader mind and richer wisdom， and continuously deepen the theoretical thinking on the dialogue， mutual appreciation and integration among civilizations.

Discernible Break-off and Implicit Continuity：Modernization of Family Ethics from the Perspective of Intergenerational Co-Parenting in China

JI Yingying, RUAN Wenya

2024, 44(2): 61-97.

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This article examines the intergenerational co-parenting experiences of “rural second-generation” urban immigrant families，and the practical process of rebuilding family balance by the second generation in cohabitation and co-parenting setting during the urbanization of rural households. Under the intense pressure of modernization，the middle generation consciously wants to raise their children according to the concepts and skills of cultivating modern individuals，causing a significant break off from the ideas of grandparent generation. At the same time，with the practice of co-living and parenting sharing，the middle generation has implicitly continued traditional notions of parent-child unity(qinzi yiti) to balance family relationships. To various degrees a “cultural consciousness” may have occurred to recognize the dependence of modern childrearing practices on the support of traditional family unity. The intertwining of unity（yiti） and individuality（geti） shapes the emotional world of family members. When the middle generation develops a recognition of “unity” alongside individual reflection on individualism，the apparent differences between tradition and modernization can be bridged，and both individuality and unity can be genuinely implemented. When the middle generation exercises individual space within unity，obvious differences can be rationalized in family life. However，when the middle generation fails to coordinate properly，unity and individuality may fragment into two opposing forces that can tear apart the family. It is noteworthy that conflicts and deep divisions in rural families often happen between grandparents and mothers. This phenomenon may indicate that the intensive modernization and ideological conflicts have likely placed women at the precise intersection of social and familial tensions. The study not only highlights the profound and enduring support of traditional ethics in the Chinese modernization process but also underscores its potential for creative transformation in the present context.

Urbanization，Spatial Planning and Reproduction of Urban-Rural Relationship: A Case Study of a Suburban Village in China

LU Bingzhe

2024, 44(2): 98-124.

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Spatial planning is not merely a technology-led scientific practice, but also a social undertaking. There have been two research approaches in social sciences that reveal the social dynamics of planning: one is to use the framework of interest politics to explore the inter-governmental negotiations in planning formulation； and the other is to examine the interplay between the state and society in planning based on the paradigm of contentious politics. Both explanations, focusing either on the intra-bureaucracy relationship or on the state-society relationship， have neglected the urban-rural dimension of planning， making it difficult to capture the unique social dynamics arising from planning practices in the context of rapid urbanization in contemporary China. This paper proposes an explanatory framework that emphasizes the embeddedness of planning in the urban-rural relationship structure shaped by urban transformation. Based on the case of a suburban village in eastern China， this study finds that whether in conservation or development planning， rural areas are in a dual hierarchical structure consisting of an administrative hierarchy between government levels and a territorial hierarchy between the urban and the rural. This unique urban-rural situation， combined with the overall comprehensiveness of planning itself， process practicality， and future-orientated characteristics of spatial planning itself， results in three social mechanisms of planning including the implicit infrastructuralization of rural spaces， the transcendence of planning power over land systems， and the asymmetric distribution of planning certainty. Consequently， villages under planning tend to employ opportunist adaptive strategies rather than engage in power negotiations or social actions. By outlining the urban-rural dynamics in Chinese spatial planning， this paper reveals the reciprocal reproduction of planning and the urban-rural structure in contemporary China， thereby explaining how spacial planning becomes part of the repertoire of Chinese state-led urbanization.

“Peasants’ Subjectivity” in Circle Structure: A Case Study of “Beautiful Village Protection Project”

XUE Wenjing, SONG Dandan

2024, 44(2): 125-150.

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With various market and social forces participating in rural construction, “peasants’ subjectivity” in the interaction between peasants and external forces has become an increasingly prominent issue. This article discusses the connotation of “peasants’ subjectivity” through a case study of a planning and design company’s “Beautiful Village Protection Project ” in Fanglin Village， S Province， and analyzes the foundation of the “uneven” subjectivity among peasants in practice. Built upon existing research， this article examines “peasants’ subjectivity” at three levels: peasants’ willingness to participate， their ability to act in a coordinated manner， and their sense of responsibility in rural construction projects. Through the discussion of the case， this article proposes a concept of “peasants’ subjectivity” in the “circle structure” of village social relations. The “circle structure” is the basic perspective from which peasants understand the relationship between external projects and themselves. When the key figures in the project change， their willingness to participate and enthusiasm for action would also change. The “circle structure” is the infrastructure for peasants’ cooperation. When the core members of the circle fail to have outward visions and properly handle the interests of different groups， the closed nature of the circle itself would make it difficult for the organisation to act in coordination. Finally， the “circle structure” is also a source of motivation for people to regard common affairs as their own responsibility. Only through their ethical connections with specific people and driven by examples of good leaders can peasants be continuously inspired to dedicate themselves to work and share risks with others.

From Primary Group to Democratic Ideal: Family and Country Feelings in Cooley’s Social Thoughts in the Progressive Era

ZHENG Yan

2024, 44(2): 151-182.

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As a representative figure of early American sociology in the Progressive Era, Charles Cooley’s marginal position in the history of contemporary sociology and his multiple representations in the study of the history of thought have constituted a strong tension. This paper attempts to use primary group and democratic ideal to connect a trilogy of Cooley’s works, namely his Human Nature and Social Order， Social Organization， and Social Process， to understand the unique American family and country feelings outlined in Cooley’s social thoughts. Cooley defined the problems encountered by the social transformation of the United States in the Progressive Era as moral degeneration and proposed that a great life oriented towards the modern world should be emerged from the primary group as a social ideal to help Americans overcome the crises. To this end， Cooley developed a theoretical thinking on the self-growth of modern individuals and their interaction with society from the perspective of social psychology. Cooley believed that the individual self was conceived in the original primal group， and through social psychological mechanisms of sympathy， imagination， and communication， it could grow in the cultural learning and group life of school education， further develop in the modern democratic society composed of public opinions， and sublimate into a mature patriotic spirit in the emergence of the international community， and finally reach a religious perfection towards the Great Life. Cooley’s mental schema was deeply rooted in the rich civic religious tradition of the United States. Cooley reconstructed this tradition through the analysis of sociological psychology， and laid the foundation for a new theory of human nature and social organization to consolidate and expand America’s democratic ideals. Paying attention to Cooley’s social thoughts in the Chinese context provides us with a comparative civilization perspective to carry on the sociological tradition of problem consciousness of the period of the Republic of China and reexamine the Chinese people’s feelings about family and country.

The Genealogy of Sacred Society: From Durkheim to Collège de Sociologie

CAO Jinyu

2024, 44(2): 183-212.

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In the 1930s， Bataille， Caillois and Leiris founded the “Collège de Sociologie” in Paris， dedicated to the study of all possible manifestations of social existence-especially the sacred forms， thus reviving the Durkheim school’s discussion of the sacred society. By examining the theoretical practice of the Collège de Sociologie， this paper attempts to establish a genealogy of the sacred society， and on this basis， to consider the following questions: How has the connotation of the sacred changed from Durkheim to the Collège de Sociologie? What social reality does this change respond to? What is the significance and value of sacredness in modern society? This paper points out that on the one hand， the Collège de Sociologie has inherited and advanced Durkheim’s thinking on the sacred society； on the other hand， in response to the social and political crises， it has restored the ambiguous attributes of the sacred in a more dynamic way， making the sacred intervene in the creation and maintenance of social order in a more radical form. Among them， Bataille changes the single assumption of the sacred by distinguishing between “left sacredness” and “right sacredness” while emphasizing the radicalism and transgression of “left sacredness”， thus surpassing Durkheim’s relatively conservative political position. In contrast， Caillois seeks a dynamic balance between respect and transgression， transforming Batailles’ Dionysian spirit into Luciferian revolutionary heroism in order to maintain the lasting dynamics of the power of the sacred. Leiris breaks through the framework of the sacred-profane dichotomy with the sacrality of everyday life. They all emphasize the process of the sacred shifting from homogeneous collectives to heterogeneous individuals， in which the self can break the alienated and oppressive social order with its own will and sovereignty， so as to achieve true freedom and commonality and revitalize the social body.

Extended Maternity Leave and Migrant Women’s Fertility-Unemployment Paradox: Based on China Migrants Dynamic Survey Data

SHI Zhilei, WANG Zhang

2024, 44(2): 213-242.

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This study proposes a hypothesis of social differentiation effects of extended maternity leave to reinterpret the “fertility-unemployment paradox” caused by extended maternity leave among migrant women. In 2016, China introduced revisions of extended maternity leave to the provincial Population and Family Planning Regulations. This paper examines the aftereffect of the 2016 and 2018 CMDS data and tests the hypothesis empirically by using the propensity score matching and instrumental variable method. The study finds that extending maternity leave can effectively improve migrant women's willingness to have a second child, but at the same time it significantly increases the risk of unemployment for them. The probability of unemployment increases by 11.76% for every month of maternity leave extension. This conclusion remains valid after a series of robustness tests. In addition， there is a threshold value for the impact of extended maternity leave on the second child fertility intention. When the length of maternity leave exceeds 180 days， further extension can no longer increase migrant women’s desire to have a second child. Further examination finds that the “fertility-unemployment paradox” of maternity leave extension is only a symptom. The maternity leave extension policy with its original intention of supporting families and protecting women creates a social differentiation effect among migrant women， that is， the extension of maternity leave only increases the second child fertility intention of migrant women with high socioeconomic status in terms of education， income and formal employment， but it puts migrant women of low socioeconomic status such as rural migrant workers with low education in a much greater risk of unemployment. As a family policy intended to protect vulnerable groups， the maternity leave extension policy has instead created new inequalities in its implementation， causing more difficulties for migrant women of low socioeconomic status. This study not only contributes to the research on low fertility， but also provides theoretical reference for improving public policies and guiding the development of modern families.

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