Electoral Events and Rural Politics: Village Election Participation in the Context of Social Connections in Rural Society

Author: Tong Zhihui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-02-01
Features: How is the election carried out in the village? What is the significance of rural democracy for the rural society and farmers? This book tells the election stories of four villages, fully demonstrating the political situation in the village at the time of encountering democracy and the actual state of villagers' participation; it analyzes the village social foundation of elite mobilization, factional participation, and family competition, as well as their complex impact on the process of rural democracy. Based on the above research, the author proposes a new conclusion that villagers' political participation is "relational participation." The perspective of "village social relations" and the concept of "relational participation" enrich the problem framework of rural political sociology and provide an important direction for improving farmers' political participation practices.