Practicing Citizenship in Contemporary China

Practicing Citizenship in Contemporary China
Author: Sophia Woodman
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 170
Release: 2020-04-02
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 0429806906

This book examines citizenship as practiced in China today from a variety of angles. Citizenship in China—and elsewhere in the Global South—has often been perceived as either a distorted echo of the ‘real’ democratic version in Europe and North America, or an orientalized ‘other’ that defines what citizenship is not. By contrast, this book sees Chinese citizenship as an aspect of a connected modernity that is still unfolding. The book focuses on three key tensions: a state preference for sedentarism and governing citizens in place vs. growing mobility, sometimes facilitated by the state; a perception that state-building and development requires a strong state vs. ideas and practices of participatory citizenship; and submission of the individual to the ‘collective’ (state, community, village, family, etc.) vs. the rising salience of conceptions of self-development and self-making projects. Examining manifestations of these tensions can contribute to thinking about citizenship beyond China, including the role of the local in forming citizenship orders; how individualization works in the absence of liberal individualism; and how ‘social citizenship’ is increasingly becoming a reward to ‘good citizens’, rather than a mechanism for achieving citizen equality. This book was originally published as a Special Issue of the journal Citizenship Studies.

Changing Meanings of Citizenship in Modern China

Changing Meanings of Citizenship in Modern China
Author: Merle Goldman
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 488
Release: 2002-06-30
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780674037762

This collection of essays addresses the meaning and practice of political citizenship in China over the past century, raising the question of whether reform initiatives in citizenship imply movement toward increased democratization. After slow but steady moves toward a new conception of citizenship before 1949, there was a nearly complete reversal during the Mao regime, with a gradual reemergence beginning in the Deng era of concerns with the political rights as well as the duties of citizens. The distinguished contributors to this volume address how citizenship has been understood in China from the late imperial era to the present day, the processes by which citizenship has been fostered or undermined, the influence of the government, the different development of citizenship in mainland China and Taiwan, and the prospects of strengthening citizens' rights in contemporary China. Valuable for its century-long perspective and for placing the historical patterns of Chinese citizenship within the context of European and American experiences, Changing Meanings of Citizenship in Modern China investigates a critical issue for contemporary Chinese society.

Citizenship Education in China

Citizenship Education in China
Author: Kerry J. Kennedy
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 280
Release: 2013-10-15
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1136022082

There is a flourishing literature on citizenship education in China that is mostly unknown in the West. Liberal political theorists often assume that only in democracy should citizens be prepared for their future responsibilities, yet citizenship education in China has undergone a number of transformations as the political system has sought to cope with market reforms, globalization and pressures both externally and within the country for broader political reforms. Over the past decade, Chinese scholars have been struggling for official recognition of citizenship education as a key component of the school curriculum in these changing contexts. This book analyzes the citizenship education issues under discussion within China, and aims to provide a voice for its scholars at a time when China’s international role is becoming increasingly important.

Contemporary China

Contemporary China
Author: Tamara Jacka
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 327
Release: 2013-09-30
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1107292298

China's rapid economic growth, modernization and globalization have led to astounding social changes. Contemporary China provides a fascinating portrayal of society and social change in the contemporary People's Republic of China. This book introduces readers to key sociological perspectives, themes and debates about Chinese society. It explores topics such as family life, citizenship, gender, ethnicity, labour, religion, education, class and rural/urban inequalities. It considers China's imperial past, the social and institutional legacies of the Maoist era, and the momentous forces shaping it in the present. It also emphasises diversity and multiplicity, encouraging readers to consider new perspectives and rethink Western stereotypes about China and its people. Real-life case studies illustrate the key features of social relations and change in China. Definitions of key terms, discussion questions and lists of further reading help consolidate learning. Including full-colour maps and photographs, this book offers remarkable insight into Chinese society and social change.

The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Citizenship

The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Citizenship
Author: Zhonghua Guo
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 688
Release: 2021-11-29
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1000472299

Two assumptions prevail in the study of Chinese citizenship: one holds that citizenship is unique to the Western political culture, and China has historically lacked the necessary conditions for its development; the other implies that China is an authoritarian regime that has always been subject to autocratic power, in which citizens and citizenship play a limited role. This volume negates both assumptions. On the one hand, it shows that China has its own unique and rich experiences of the emergence, development, rights, obligations, acts, culture, education, and sites of citizenship, indicating the need to widen the scope of citizenship studies to include non-Western societies. On the other hand, it aims to show that citizenship has been a core issue running through China's political development since the modern period, urging scholars to bring ‘citizenship’ into consideration in the study of Chinese politics. This Handbook sets a new agenda for citizenship studies and Chinese politics. Its clear, accessible style makes it essential reading for students and scholars interested in citizenship and China studies.

Imagining the People

Imagining the People
Author: Joshua A. Fogel
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 356
Release: 2020-07-24
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1000161250

While much attention has been focused on the rise of the modern Chinese nation, little or none has been directed at the emergence of citizenry. This book examines thinkers from the period 1890-1920 in modern China, and shows how China might forge a modern society with a political citizenry.

Regime Legitimacy in Contemporary China

Regime Legitimacy in Contemporary China
Author: Thomas Heberer
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2008-08-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1134036299

Using in-depth case studies of a wide-range of political, social and economic reforms in contemporary China this volume sheds light on the significance and consequences of institutional change for stability of the political system in China. The contributors examine how reforms shape and change Communist rule and Chinese society, and to what extent they may engender new legitimacy for the CCP regime and argue that authoritarian regimes like the PRC can successfully generate stability in the same way as democracies. Topics addressed include: ideological reform, rural tax- for-fees reforms, elections in villages and urban neighbourhood communities, property rights in rural industries, endogenous political constraints of transition, internalising capital markets, the media market in transition, the current social security system, the labour market environmental policy reforms to anti-poverty policies and NGOs. Exploring the possibility of legitimate one-party rule in China, this book is a stimulating and informative read for students and scholars interested in political science and Chinese politics

Citizenship and Education in Contemporary China

Citizenship and Education in Contemporary China
Author: Yeow-Tong Chia
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 143
Release: 2023-05-31
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1000886069

A key objective of education in China is to cultivate one's moral values, with the ultimate objective of becoming fully human (做人). Unlike the "West", which regards moral cultivation as related to but separate from citizenship cultivation, East Asia (including China) views moral and citizenship cultivation as synonymous. The essays in this book offer various perspectives on and understandings of Chinese citizenship and education by a group of scholars of Chinese heritage situated inside and outside of China. They offer compelling evidence and rich theoretical discussions about the practice of teaching citizenship in the state education, the interplay between citizenship and China's cultural and religious traditions, and the construction of citizenship from the groups from marginal positions. The book uses citizenship as a lens to examine the pressing issues of identity, democracy, religion and cosmopolitanism and sheds new light on China's ongoing social and educational changes. Thinking through citizenship and citizenship education may act as an important driving force to transform the culture and paradigms of governance in China and the new meanings of becoming fully human. This book will be of interest to researchers and advanced students of Education, Politics, Sociology and Public Policy. The chapters in this book were originally published in various Routledge journals.

Moral Education in China

Moral Education in China
Author: Wangbei Ye
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2023-02-20
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1000846512

The book presents up-to-date research on moral education teaching and teachers in China. By providing an accessible, practical, yet scholarly source of moral education, education aims and teachers’ ethical roles in China, which is also an international concern, the author systematically reviews Moral Education curriculum, moral education pre-service teacher education, current policies and practices of Moral Education teaching and teachers. The book will be resourceful for researchers, practitioners and policymakers in moral education, citizenship education and teacher education.

The Rise of Confucian Citizens in China

The Rise of Confucian Citizens in China
Author: Canglong Wang
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 197
Release: 2023-07-07
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1000909433

This book explores the relationship between Confucianism and citizenship and the rise of Confucian citizens in contemporary China. Combining theoretical and empirical approaches to the topic, the book constructs new frameworks to examine the nuances and complexities of Confucianism and citizenship, exploring the process of citizen-making through Confucian education. By re-evaluating the concept of citizenship as a Western construct and therefore challenging the popular characterization of Confucianism and citizenship as incompatible, this book posits that a new type of citizen, the Confucian citizen, is on the rise in 21st-century China. The book’s clear, accessible style makes it essential reading for students and scholars interested in citizenship, Confucianism and Chinese studies, and those with an interest in religion and philosophy more generally.