Social Stratification in Contemporary Chinese Society: Theory and Empiricism

Author: Li Youmei et al
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: Traditional development sociology consists of modernization theory, which studies developed countries, and dependency theory, which studies Asia, Africa, and Latin America. These theories constitute the main themes of development sociology but also limit its scope. The transformations of countries like China and the former Soviet bloc have raised a series of new issues for it. Research on the characteristics, operational logic, and transformations of these countries should become a new source of inspiration and driving force for the development of sociology and the entire social sciences. Transitions and Development was born as an academic journal aimed at creating a sociology of transitions oriented toward Chinese practice, striving to become a platform that gathers outstanding scholars in related fields and promotes academic exchange. Since the 1980s, Chinese society has undergone tremendous institutional changes and structural transformations. Against this macro landscape, the Transitions and Development series attempts to analyze the various fragments of macro transitions, focus on the connections between China's macro and micro mechanisms, and maintain a conscious reflexivity and critique in methodology. It aims to provide a new path for research on China's transitional society.