Twentieth-Century Chinese Social Sciences (Sociology Volume)

Author: Lu Hanlong, edited by Peng Xizhe
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-09-01
Features: Over a century, there have been three major reassessments, each of which constructed a new knowledge system, category, concepts, discourse, and even paradigm for China. These reassessments provided new theoretical foundations and action plans for China's salvation and survival, the transformation of Chinese civilization, the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and the development of China's revolution and modernization. As a result, Chinese social sciences have moved towards society and the public, permeating people's entire spiritual and material lives, and infiltrating the comprehensive transformation of social systems. Over a century of development in Chinese social sciences has provided a powerful spiritual driving force and a solid spiritual support for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. During this century, Chinese social sciences have undergone three large-scale reassessments of prior academic, intellectual, and cultural traditions. Each reassessment not only brought a major leap forward in social sciences but also brought about a widespread ideological liberation and a significant improvement in the quality of the public. In fact, the reassessment continues to this day. This has shaped the character of Chinese social sciences—combining timeliness, progressiveness, and diversity. As a modern discipline originating from the West, sociology has only a little over a century of history. However, in the past century, the tortuous history of Chinese sociology—from introduction to development—has, to some extent, reflected the arduous journey of the growth of knowledge in Chinese social sciences. The compilation of this volume strives to objectively and clearly trace the development of Chinese sociology and its main branch disciplines in the 20th century from the complex and profound activities of sociological theory and practice. Through realistic documentation and reviews, it accurately and comprehensively reflects the overall picture, connotations, and characteristics of the development of the discipline, thereby presenting readers with a complete historical panorama of the evolution and transformation of Chinese sociology over a century.