Handbook on Class and Social Stratification in China: (Handbooks of Research on Contemporary China series)

This comprehensive and interdisciplinary Handbook illustrates the patterns of class transformation in China since 1949, situating them in their historical context. Presenting detailed case studies of social stratification and class formation in a wide range of settings, the expert international contributors provide invaluable insights into multiple aspects of China's economy, polity and society.The Handbook on Class and Social Stratification in China explores critical contemporary topics which are rarely put in perspective or schematized, therefore placing it at the forefront of progressive scholarship. These include; state power as a determinant of life chances women's social mobility in relation to marriage the high school entrance exam as a class sorter class stratification in relation to health China's rural migrant workers and labour politics. Eminently readable, this systematic exploration of class and stratification will appeal to scholars and researchers with an interest in class formation, status attainment, social inequality, mobility, development, social policy and politics in China and Asia. Contributors: J. Andreas, M. Blecher, J. Chan, M. Chen, L. Chunling, L. Du, M. Gao, B.C. Garcia, D.S.G. Goodman, Y. Guo, R. Hasmath, P. Lu, S. Sargeson, M. Selden, W. Sun, L. Tomba, T.E. Woronov, X. Wu, S. Yu, Z. Zhang

Table of Contents:
Contents: Introduction: Class and Stratification in the People’s Republic of China Yingjie Guo PART I HISTORY 1. Reconfiguring China’s Class Order after the 1949 Revolution Joel Andreas 2. The Cultural Revolution: Class, Culture and Revolution Mobo Gao 3. Class and Inequality in the Post-Mao Era Li Chunling PART II DYNAMICS OF SOCIAL STRATIFICATION AND CLASS FORMATION 4. State Power as a Determinant of Life Chances Yingjie Gao 5. Cultural Politics of Class: Workers and Peasants as Historical Subjects Wanning Sun 6. Women’s Social Mobility in China: Marriage and Class Song Yu 7. Ethnic Minority Status, Class, and the Urban Labour Market Reza Hasmath PART III WELFARE INDEXES 8. Education, Social Stratification and Class in China Liang Du 9. The High School Entrance Exam And/As Class Sorter: Working Class Youth and the HSEE in Contemporary China T. E. Woronov 10. Housing China’s Inequality Luigi Tomba 11. Class, Stratification and Health Inequities in Contemporary China Beatriz Carrillo Garcia PART IV THE RULING CLASS 12. China’s Emerging Ruling Class: Power, Wealth, and Status under Market Socialism David S. G. Goodman 13. China’s Top Leading Cadres: More Red, Expert, or Gold? Peng Lu PART V MIDDLE CLASSES 14. Transformation of China’s Socialist Brick: Reproduction and Circulation of Ordinary Cadres Peng Lu 15. The Growth of Chinese Professionals: A New Middle Class in the Making Zhuoni Zhang and Xiaogang Wu 16. China’s Private Entrepreneurs and the Party-state: Mutual Dependence and Political Institutionalization Minglu Chen PART VI WORKING CLASSES 17. Working Class Re-formation and De-formation in the PRC Marc Blecher 18. China’s Rural Migrant Workers and Labour Politics Jenny Chan and Mark Selden 19. A Predictable End? China’s Peasantry as a Class, Past, Present and Imagined Future Sally Sargeson Index

About the Author :
Edited by Yingjie Guo, Department of Chinese Studies, School of Languages and Cultures, University of Sydney, Australia

Review :
‘Much more than a simple compendium on the shape of social differentiation in China today, this ambitious volume takes on the earth-shattering shifts that officially swept away the concept of class (even as class contradictions grow ever sharper) and that replaced that term with “stratum,” in line with regime “dreams” of “harmony.” The authors offer us a kaleidoscope of history, politics, and much else interpreted through the lens of class, providing a sophisticated, elegant set of chapters. The work amounts to a virtual treatise on Chinese society today - most of whose contributions would qualify as high-caliber journal articles. The tome provides a vigorous justification for a resurgence of class analysis.’ ‘China has witnessed extraordinary shifts in class structures in recent decades, affecting a fifth of the world’s population. The Handbook on Class and Social Stratification in China is the most comprehensive book on this vital topic. It brings together the expertise of twenty academic specialists on China, who write with admirable clarity and insight on the various important aspects of China’s social hierarchy. This book is a tour de force.’ ‘This Handbook is an ideal text for courses on class and stratification in China as well as an excellent introduction for readers interested in knowing more about China. It includes many interesting topics, it is clearly written and highly readable and it addresses the continuity and change of contemporary Chinese society and politics.’