From the soil, the foundations of Chinese society [[electronic resource] ] : a translation of Fei Xiaotong's Xiangtu Zhongguo, with an introduction and epilogue / / by Gary G. Hamilton and Wang Zheng

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910455347503321
• Autore: Fei Xiaotong
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: Berkeley, : University of California Press, 1992
• ISBN: 1-282-13416-7; 9786613806741; 0-520-91248-9; 0-585-10436-0
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (171 p.)
• Altri autori (Persone): HamiltonGary G; WangZheng <1952->
• Disciplina: 306/.0951
• Soggetti: Electronic books.; China Social conditions
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Note generali: Translation of: Xiang tu Zhongguo.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references and index.
• Nota di contenuto: Front matter -- Contents -- Foreword -- Introduction -- 1. Special Characteristics of Rural Society -- 2. Bringing Literacy to the Countryside -- 3. More Thoughts on Bringing Literacy to the Countryside -- 4. Chaxugeju: The Differential Mode of Association -- 5. The Morality of Personal Relationships -- 6. Patrilineages -- 7. "Between Men and Women, There Are Only Differences" -- 8. A Rule of Ritual -- 9. A Society without Litigation -- 10. An Inactive Government -- 11. Rule by Elders -- 12. Consanguinity and Regionalism -- 13. Separating Names from Reality -- 14. From Desire to Necessity -- Epilogue: Sociology and the Reconstruction of Rural China -- Glossary -- Index
• Sommario/riassunto: This classic text by Fei Xiaotong, China's finest social scientist, was first published in 1947 and is Fei's chief theoretical statement about the distinctive characteristics of Chinese society. Written in Chinese from a Chinese point of view for a Chinese audience, From the Soil describes the contrasting organizational principles of Chinese and Western societies, thereby conveying the essential features of both. Fei shows ; how these unique features reflect and are reflected in the moral and ethical characters of people in these societies. This profound, challenging book is both succinct and accessible. In its first complete English-language edition, it is likely to have a wide impact on Western social theorists. Gary G. Hamilton and Wang Zheng's translation captures Fei's jargonless, straightforward style of writing. Their introduction describes Fei's education and career as a sociologist, the fate of his writings on and off the Mainland, and the sociological significance of his analysis. The translators' epilogue highlights the social reforms for China that Fei drew from his analysis and advocated in a companion text written in the same period.