Full Description
This book provides a comprehensive overview of the emergence and development of sociological thought in China since the late Qing Dynasty, addressing the fundamental question of how to understand Chinese society and experience.
It offers a concise yet thorough account of the major schools and movements in Chinese sociology, spotlighting influential figures, key ideas, and historical contexts. The characteristics of traditional Chinese society are examined, and four pivotal turning points in China's century-long transformation are identified. Focusing on social construction, class stratification, and institutional change since the Reform Era, the book integrates intellectual history with sociological analysis. By revealing a developmental path that diverges from Western models, the book offers new empirical evidence and theoretical insights into the dynamics of contemporary Chinese society.
This valuable resource will appeal to scholars and students of sociology, Chinese society, and the Chinese economy, as well as general readers interested in China's social and economic development.
Contents
1. Introduction: Sociology and Chinese Experience Part I The Spread of Western Learning to the East and the Beginning of Chinese Sociology 2. Enlightenment and the Spread of Western Learning to the East: The Beginning of Sociology 3. Social Evolution: Evolution of Heaven Reform and Strengthening Community 4. Modernization: Reform and Institutional Change Part II Chinese Sociology in the First Half of the 20th Century 5. Historical Materialism Sociology 6. Rural Reconstruction and the Social Survey Movement 7. The Chinese School of Sociology 8. The Institutional School of Chinese Sociology 9. Social History Research Part III A Century of Great Transformation in Traditional China 10. The Basic Characteristics of Traditional Chinese Society 11. A Century of Change in China 12. The Chinese Experience of Reform and Development Part IV Social Transformation in Contemporary China 13. Social Structural Change and Harmonious Stability 14. Livelihood Improvement and Social Construction 15. Urbanization and China's New Growth Stage 16. Toward a Quality-of-Life-Oriented Stage 17. Changes in the Class Structure of Contemporary China
