Towards a Critique of Everyday Life in China

Author: Li Xiaojuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: Critical theory of everyday life is a cultural philosophy field that emerged in the 20th century. It is listed alongside other types of cultural critique theories such as critical theory of technology, critical theory of mass culture, and critical theory of ideology. Husserl, Wittgenstein, Schutz, Heidegger, Lefebvre, Lukács, Helle, and Kosicki, among others, have explored the issue of critical theory of everyday life from different perspectives. These theories hold significant reference value for us, but there are substantial differences in theoretical paradigms, cultural contexts, and value orientations. For example, Husserl was concerned with reconstructing a meaningful and value-oriented world by returning to the pre-scientific and pre-logical life world. Heidegger and Lefebvre; whereas we face the challenge of how to resolve the cultural obstacles posed by the spontaneous and self-sufficient traditional everyday life world to the process of modernization. Therefore, I propose to construct a Chinese theoretical paradigm of everyday life and a practical model for the critique and reconstruction of everyday life, grounded in the context of China's modernization process. Research on the critical theory of everyday life in China began in the 1990s, but the current research achievements remain in their initial and foundational stages, falling far short of the requirements of China's modernization process.