Bulletin n. 2/2016 | ||
December 2016 | ||
Chang Xiangqun |
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Recipropriety (lishang-wanglai): A Chinese model of social relationships and reciprocity – state and villagers’ interaction 1936–2014 | ||
in Journal of Sociology , Volume 52, Issue 1, March 2016 , 2016 , 103–117 | ||
Abstract In Kaixiangong village, south-east China, the ordinary villagers seek ways to cope with change and improve their lives by constantly maintaining and managing relationships not only between themselves but also with the state. Fieldwork carried out on social support from state or private sources (1979–96), has been supplemented with material from 1936 to the present. The findings show the majority of villagers’ resource-seeking actions are rooted in implicit cultural models and patterns of social relationships, a Chinese model of social relationships and reciprocity; the current situation results from reciprocal influence and accommodation between villagers and the state over a long period. | ||