Power and Freedom: An Anthropological Examination of Civil Society

Author: Yuan Zusheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: The implementation of the market economy system has triggered the phenomenon of significant differentiation between the state and society in China, calling for the establishment of a new, positive interaction model between the two. Structural differentiation inevitably raises the issue of "legitimacy," objectively requiring a reasonable positioning of the relationship between the state (power) and society (rights). In terms of institutional arrangements, it is essential to seek a practical and feasible ideal model of social organization to attempt and implement the self-governance of the Chinese civil society. At the same time, with the disintegration of China's "identity-based society" and the beginning of the comprehensive "contractualization" of social life, it inevitably leads to a comprehensive innovation in the organizational order and integration mechanisms of the Chinese civil society. The "meaningful convergence" relationship between the market economy and civil society provides the cultural foundation and value basis for the positive operation of civil society, offering a relatively ideal and realistic lifestyle for individuals in the contemporary Chinese civil society.