The Making of the Chinese Middle Class: Small Comfort and Great Expectations (The Sciences Po Series in International Relations and Political Economy)

This Book Analyses The Making Of The Chinese Middle Class That Started In The 1990s Using A Constructivist Approach. With The Development Of The Chinese Economy, A New Group Of Middle Wage Earners Appeared. Chinese Social Scientists And State Institutions Promoted The Idea That China Needs A Middle Class To Achieve Modernization. Middle Class Members Are Definedand Define Themselvesas Good Consumers, Educated People, Politically Engaged But Reasonable Citizens. As Such, The Making Of The Middle Class Is The Result Of Three Convergent Phenomena: An Attempt To Define The Middle Class, A Process Of Civilization, And The Development Of Protest Movements. The Making Of The Chinese Middle Class, Rocca Argues, Is A Way To End The Stalemate That Modern Chinese Society Is Facing, In Particular The Necessity To Democratize Without Introducing An Election System Jean-louis Rocca. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 251-276) And Index. "Dedication " -- "Acknowledgments" -- "Contents" -- "List of Figures " -- "List of Tables " -- "Chapter 1: Talking About the Middle Class" -- "A Consensus but Too Many Definitions" -- "The Virtues of a Comparative Approach" -- "What Is at Stake with the Middle Class" -- "Notes" -- "Chapter 2: The Rise of the Social in China" -- "Entering the Consumer Society" -- "Education Has Become an Asset" -- "Better Education Leads to Better Jobs" -- "Class Production or Class Reproduction: An Assessment" -- "Class Reproduction: The Case of Tsinghua University" -- "Where Do Students Come From?" -- "Parentsâ#x80;#x99; Level of Education" -- "Occupational Level of Parents" -- "Family Income" -- "Property" -- "â#x80;Representingâ#x80;#x9D; the Middle Class" -- "Notes" -- "Chapter 3: The Making of an Ideal Class" -- "In Search of the Middle Class" -- "The Emergence of the Middle Class as a Legitimate Issue" -- "The Endless Search for a Definition" -- "Numbers and Proportions" -- "Functions" -- "Building an Ideal Society" -- "In Search of Politics and Policies" -- "Notes" -- "Appendix 1" -- "Chapter 4: The Making of a Lifestyle" -- "A Process of Civilization" -- "The Middle Class Lifestyle as a Social Struggle" -- "Defining the Middle Class Lifestyle" -- "Standards of Living" -- "Love and Marriage" -- "Middle Class and Political Opinions" -- "Within the Middle Classes" -- "The Diffusion and Production of the Middle Class Lifestyle as a Model" -- "Notes" -- "Chapter 5: Middle Class Politics" -- "Political Stalemate" -- "Urban Middle Class as Political Subjects" -- "Environmental Protection" -- "Food Safety" -- "Homeownersâ#x80;#x99; Movement in Beijing" -- "The Context" -- "Motives and Actions" -- "Homeowners and Political Power" -- "The Emergence of a Homeownersâ#x80;#x99; Identity" -- "Leadership" -- "Tensions among Homeowners" Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Talking About the Middle Class....Pages 1-19 The Rise of the Social in China....Pages 21-67 The Making of an Ideal Class....Pages 69-116 The Making of a Lifestyle....Pages 117-169 Middle Class Politics....Pages 171-226 Conclusion....Pages 227-250 Back Matter....Pages 251-281