Suchergebnisse

At the interface of Chinese diaspora studies, migration studies, and urban studies, this introduction argues for a shift towards city-based migration studies. The city is understood here not as a self-contained social cosmos, but as a globally and socially embedded urban level that opens up a more flexible perspective on the unfolding of migration processes at the micro, meso, and macro levels. It begins with a brief overview of recent trends in Chinese diaspora studies, global migration and urbanisation trends, and debates in critical geography on multi-scale urban theories. Then, it raises the question of the empirical feasibility of such an approach and argues for conceptualising migrants' agency as a starting point for migration research, rather than pursuing a policy-driven, normative approach. Finally, it presents the five empirical contributions to this Special Issue. They are based on fieldwork in Paris, Berlin, Manchester (UK), Mexico City, Lagos, Gaborone, and Windhoek.

At the interface of Chinese diaspora studies, migration studies, and urban studies, this introduction argues for a shift towards city-based migration studies. The city is understood here not as a self-contained social cosmos, but as a globally and socially embedded urban level that opens up a more flexible perspective on the unfolding of migration processes at the micro, meso, and macro levels. It begins with a brief overview of recent trends in Chinese diaspora studies, global migration and urbanisation trends, and debates in critical geography on multi-scale urban theories. Then, it raises the question of the empirical feasibility of such an approach and argues for conceptualising migrants' agency as a starting point for migration research, rather than pursuing a policy-driven, normative approach. Finally, it presents the five empirical contributions to this Special Issue. They are based on fieldwork in Paris, Berlin, Manchester (UK), Mexico City, Lagos, Gaborone, and Windhoek. (JCCA/GIGA)

Sociological China studies are normally thought of as part of Western social sciences/area studies, whereas Chinese sociology is associated with sociology in China. What both have in common is Chinese society as their research focus, while the country's ongoing rapid social change provides an abundant variety of social issues and challenges to work on. In addition, with China's increasing global presence, there is an ever greater need for deeper understanding of the country's global interrelations and social influences beyond its domestic borders. Taking the German Association for Social Science Research on China as its starting point, this paper explores whether and how sociological China research and Chinese sociology are becoming parts of an emerging cosmopolitan/global sociology existing beyond the methodological nationalism of classical sociology. It argues that the emerging field of global sociology is characterized by the fragmented and asymmetric production and diffusion of sociological knowledge, and that sociological China studies and Chinese sociology are entering this field from different angles — while also being embedded in different national political, academic, and funding frameworks. Drawing on Michael Burawoy's typology of the production of sociological knowledge as a contradictory yet complementary division of professional, policy, critical, and public Sociology, the paper further argues in favor of strengthening the reflexive production of sociological knowledge on China (meaning critical and public sociology) that seeks to elaborate on its critical foundations and to find its academic and extra-academic audiences. At the same time, this might also provide common ground for sociological China studies and Chinese sociology within the currently asymmetrical emerging field of global sociology.

Die wirtschaftliche Transformation im Perlflussdelta (VR China) hat zu massiven mega-urbanen Umstrukturierungen geführt, die von massenhaften Land-Stadt-Migrationen begleitet sind. Am Beispiel von Migration und Stadtentwicklung im Perlflussdelta kann gezeigt werden, dass Informalisierungsprozesse nicht nur im Bereich der Beschäftigung von Wanderarbeitern zu beobachten sind, sondern auch in ihren anderen Lebensbereichen wie den Wohnsiedlungen, der Gesundheitsversorgung und dem Schulbesuch ihrer Kinder. Um die mit der Migration verbundenen komplexen Interaktionen zwischen Informalisierung und Formalisierung besser zu verstehen, entwickelt die Autorin ein theoretisches Modell, das vom Konzept der Formalitäts-Informalitäts-Spanne (Norbert Elias) ausgeht. Es wird argumentiert, dass die Ausweitung von Informalität Formalisierungsprozesse (insbesondere neue und - bezogen auf die Situation der chinesischen Binnenmigration - inklusive Gesetze und Regelungen) auslöst, die die Chance bieten, die innovativen Aspekte informeller Entwicklungen zu verankern und zu verstetigen.1 (Manuskript eingereicht am 10.11.2007; zur Veröffentlichung angenommen am 12.02.2008)

Sociological China studies are normally thought of as part of Western social sciences/area studies, whereas Chinese sociology is associated with sociology in China. What both have in common is Chinese society as their research focus, while the country's ongoing rapid social change provides an abundant variety of social issues and challenges to work on. In addition, with China's increasing global presence, there is an ever greater need for deeper understanding of the country's global interrelations and social influences beyond its domestic borders. Taking the German Association for Social Science Research on China as its starting point, this paper explores whether and how sociological China research and Chinese sociology are becoming parts of an emerging cosmopolitan/global sociology existing beyond the methodological nationalism of classical sociology. It argues that the emerging field of global sociology is characterized by the fragmented and asymmetric production and diffusion of sociological knowledge, and that sociological China studies and Chinese sociology are entering this field from different angles — while also being embedded in different national political, academic, and funding frameworks. Drawing on Michael Burawoy's typology of the production of sociological knowledge as a contradictory yet complementary division of professional, policy, critical, and public Sociology, the paper further argues in favor of strengthening the reflexive production of sociological knowledge on China (meaning critical and public sociology) that seeks to elaborate on its critical foundations and to find its academic and extra-academic audiences. At the same time, this might also provide common ground for sociological China studies and Chinese sociology within the currently asymmetrical emerging field of global sociology. (Asien/GIGA)

In the last few years, the social pressure to give more and more expensive presents has increased tremendously in all spheres of social life in the People's Republic of China. The phenomenon of exchanging extravagant gifts, to the extent of qualifying as corruption, is the subject of this article, in which the practice of gift-giving is analyzed, based on Marcel Mauss, as a "total social fact". Legal and illegal, legitimate and illegitimate gifts are shown as comprising a reciprocal exchange of gifts which serves specific functions within the economic and political system in the People's Republic of China. Following an excursus on the origin of gift-giving as tokens of alliance or tributes (with particular reference to Marcel Granet), modifications in the forms and functions of the gift exchange are then discussed, especially how they have been influenced, first by a planned economy and then by a market economy. The conclusion is drawn that as long as a planned economy continues to be the dominant form, the exchange of gifts will maintain its function of compensating for dysfunctions of the economic system.

In China, there are currently about 221 million internal migrants. Their number is equal to the entirety of international migration. Most of China's internal migrants migrate from the countryside to the cities (rural-to-urban-migration). The policy brief provides an overview of central aspects of this rural-urban migration. It discusses inter alia the various functions of the household registration system (hukou-system) which is the institutional foundation of rural-urban migration in China, patterns of migration, and working and living conditions of rural migrant workers in the cities. The central question is whether and to what extent internal migration offers an opportunity for the poorer rural population in China.

In China gibt es derzeit etwa 221 Millionen Binnenmigranten, die zumeist vom Land in die Städte wandern. Damit übersteigt der Umfang der Binnenmigration denjenigen der weltweiten internationalen Migration. Das Kurzdossier befasst sich nach einer Einführung in den Begriff der chinesischen Binnenmigration mit den verschiedenen Funktionen des Meldesystems (hukou-System), das die institutionelle Grundlage der Land-Stadt-Migration in China bildet. Anschließend werden verschiedene Aspekte der Binnenmigration wie Migrationsmuster, Beschäftigungsfelder der Migranten sowie deren Lebens- und Arbeitsbedingungen in den Städten beleuchtet. Im Mittelpunkt steht dabei die Frage, ob und inwiefern die Land-Stadt-Migration eine Chance für die ärmere Landbevölkerung Chinas bietet.