Understanding Social Stratificationin China’s Sociological Textbooks
Li Chunling
Institute of Sociology
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Background

Recovery of sociology in China in 1979 when the economic reformbegan
The first Department of Sociology established and started sociologicaltraining in Peking University in late 1980s. Since then, sociologicaleducation has gradually developed in colleges and universities.
However, no discussion of social stratification in the first sociologicaltextbooks during 1980s and early 1990s.
The term of “social stratification” appeared in sociological textbooks inlate 1990s.
Since the begin of this century most of sociological textbooks have aspecific chapter to discuss the issue of social stratification.

1Four major features of socialstratification research in China
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Effort to break social stratification research awayfrom the authority’s ideology
Close relation between social stratification researchand policy-making
Focuses and topics closely follow the process of theeconomic reform
Conflict, interaction and integration between Chinese
specific experience and western sociologicalknowledge

Social stratification and ideology
Tradition of Marxist class theory

Class theory and the authority’s ideologyChange of ideology and theoretic debateClass analysis and functionalist theory ofsocial stratification
Sensitive topic

2

Social stratification and social changeThe economic reform has brought about huge anddramatic social, economic and political changes
key focuses and topics of social stratification
researches closely follow the process of the economic
reform.

Different social problems appearing in different
stages of the economic reform caused continuoustransferring in focuses, topics and concerns of socialstratification.

Focus and Topic

Change of stratification mechanism

Emergence of New classes



Rising of income inequality

Socioeconomic gap between urban and rural
areas and migration



Education inequality and college entrance
examination

3Social stratification and social policy
Main target of the research is to find measures tosolve social problems and provide suggestions forgovernmental policy-makers.

Social stratification research is relative to publicconcern
Courses on social stratification become more andmore popular in universities. Students have greatinterests to attend these classes.

Chinese and western KnowledgeInteraction and conflict between localized
awareness and sociological knowledge fromwestern sociology
Generational difference in explanation ofsocial stratification
Integrate localized knowledge and westernsociology

4Four stages
Stage 1 : 1979-1989
Reflecting traditional Marxist class theory and making academic research
independent from socialist ideology

Stage 2: 1990-1995
Avoiding theoretical controversy and focusing to investigating anddescribing what changes happenedStage 3: 1996-2000
Different approaches: cleavage between Chinese-style popularized research
and western-style academic researchStage 4: since 2001
Comprehensive research and focusing not only on empirical problems but
also on theoretical concerns

Stage 1 : 1979-1989

Social stratification research likes controversies ofideology

Most discussion are about theoretical arguments but notempirical research

Theoretic debates break social stratification researchaway from ideology and beyond traditional Marxist classtheoryWestern theories of social stratification, such as theoriesof Marx Weber and functionalism, had been introduced
into China5

Stage 2: 1990-1995


1989 interrupt the progress of social stratification research to beacademic research

A backlash of political ideology after 1989

Social stratification research became a politically sensitive topicWestern sociological theories had been criticized by Party theorists

Debates on theories of social stratification had been prohibitedFew of discussion on social stratification in sociological textbooks



However, there are some comprehensive descriptions on socialchanges based on large-scale surveys and providing suggestions forthe government leadersStage 3: 1996-2000
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Chinese sociologists gradually accepted Western sociology and began tolearn methodology of western sociology
Social stratification research became the first field to accept westernsociology
There were two types of social stratification research: Chinese-style
popularized research and western-style academic research
Academic research developed quickly in the study of social stratification.
Many Chinese versions of English sociological textbooks published andbecame mainstream textbooks in sociological training of universities
However, influence of these researches had been limited in academic circles
and been farther and farther away from practical problems the public andpolicy-makers were interested in.

6Stage 4: since 2001


Effective integration between Chinese-style popularized research andWestern-style academic research

Ideological constraints were broken through to some extent



A large number of research results have been introduced into sociologicaltextbooks

These researches provide comprehensive and thorough analysis on thetransformation of China’s social stratification during recent 30 yearsSome of these research results have great social influence or feedbackPolicy-makers pay great attention to these research results

A few of textbooks for courses of social stratification has been publishedwhich displayed a pluralistic theoretical approaches and multiple subjects

Summary:
evolution, mature and innovation

Chinese understanding of social stratification
during recent decades has been experienced
evolution, mature and innovation. It has beendeveloped in a process of conflict, interaction andintegration between Chinese localized experiences
and western sociological theories.

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