The Political Economy of Reforms and the Remaking of the Proletarian Class in China, 1980s–2010s: Demystifying China's Society and Social Classes in Post-Mao Era

Description

This book comprehensively investigates the position of China’s working class between the 1980s and 2010s and considers the consequences of economic reforms in historical perspective. It argues the case that, far from the illusion during the Maoist period that a new society had been established where the working classes held greater political and economic autonomy, economic reforms in the post-Mao era have led to the return of traditional Marxist proletariats in China. The book demonstrates how the reforms of Deng Xiaoping have led to increased economic efficiency at the expense of economic equality through an extensive case study of an SOE (state-owned enterprise) in Sichuan Province as well as wider discussions of the emergence of state capitalism on both a micro and macroeconomic level. The book also discusses workers’ protests during these periods of economic reform to reflect the reformation of class consciousness in post-Mao China, drawing on Marx’s concept of a transition from a ‘class-in-itself' to a ‘class-for-itself’. It will be valuable reading for students and scholars of Chinese economic and social history, as well as political economy, sociology, and politics. Acknowledgements Contents About the Author Abbreviations List of Figures List of Tables 1 Introduction 1.1 Research Background Chinese State-Owned Enterprises 1.2 The Working Class in China 1.3 Research Question References 2 Theories and Methodology Applied 2.1 Theories Macro Guidance: Marx’s Debate on Class and Class Struggle Micro Approaches to Explore Weber’s Understanding of Sociology Bourdieu’s Material and Symbolic Capital Foucault’s Power Concept Olson’s Interest Group Sen’s Entitlement Approach 2.2 Methodology Qualitative Research Methods—Case Study, Oral History and More Data Collection Methods Secondary Data Collection Primary Data Collection Data Analysis Methods and Application of NVivo Overcoming Challenges Dialect and Terms Research Ethics and Safety Anonymisation References 3 The Case of E Group Corporation—an SOE in Sichuan, Post-1949 3.1 Sichuan: Artificial Establishment of SOEs in a Farming Province 3.2 E Group Company: Privileged SOE–cum–Financial Burden D City E Group Company’s History E Group Company: Economic Booster-Cum-Financial Burden 3.3 E Group Company Workers 3.4 Summary on E Group Company References 4 Workers’ Returning to a Proletariat Position in Post-1978 4.1 Research into SOEs Before Economic Reforms 4.2 Iron Rice Bowl and Workers’ Privilege Under the Work Unit System Privileged Work Unit and EGC Workers’ Advantages Benefits for Workers’ Families 4.3 Research into SOEs and Economic Reforms 4.4 Workers’ Status in E Group Company After SOE Reforms Loss of SOE Advantages and the Failure of Socialist Enterprises Loss of SOE Workers’ Superiority Status of Employed Workers Status of Workers in Early Retirement or Internal Retirement 4.5 Changes in the Composition of the Working Class in EGC Workers: Returning to the Traditional Working Class SOE Cadres Technicians References 5 “Nostalgia” and “Protests”: Class Consciousness and Class-For-Itself 5.1 Nostalgia: The Socio-Political Condition of Working-Class Protest 5.2 Explicit Protest: Labour Activism in EGC Interest Group and Collective Action The Demand for Protest: Economic Satisfaction and Political Slogan The Characteristics of the Chinese Workers’ Activism, Class Consciousness and the Transformation of Class in the Light of EGC Workers’ Restricted Explicit Protest 5.3 Implicit Protests and Practices of “Relationship” Implicit Protests in Daily Jobs The Utilisation and Possession of State-Owned Assets Rejecting Leadership Requests Part-Time Jobs Using Relationships to Reduce Workload Practices of Relationship in Employment Obtaining Better Employment Obtaining Easy Job Positions Promotion as a Means of Protest and Practices of Relationship Relationship with Leaders Joining a Party to Build New Relationships References 6 The Reconstruction of Classes and a Class Society in China 6.1 Relative Deprivation, Multiple Exploitation, and Class Consciousness 6.2 Analysis on Transformation of China’s Social Structure 6.3 Classes and the Perception of a Class Society 6.4 State Capitalism and the Working Class References 7 Final Conclusions References Appendix A: The Summary of the Basic Information of Interviewees Appendix B: List of Internal Documents (Chronological Order) Appendix C: Interview Question Guide Appendix D: Memos in NVivo Appendix E: Annotations in NVivo Appendix F: Photos Collected from Fieldwork Research Index