From the soil, the foundations of Chinese society : a translation of Fei Xiaotong's Xiangtu Zhongguo, with an introduction and epilogue

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. 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. 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