Front cover image for Moral politics in a South Chinese village : responsibility, reciprocity, and resistance

Moral politics in a South Chinese village : responsibility, reciprocity, and resistance

Hok Bun Ku
Print Book, English, c 2003
Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, Md., c 2003
XXII, 287 Seiten : Karten
9780742509276, 9780742509283, 0742509273, 0742509281
249379718
List of Illustrations and Tablesxi
List Key Informantsxiii
Weights and Measuresxv
Prefacexvii
Acknowledgmentsxxi
Abbreviations Used in the Notesxxiii
Introduction: Entering the Village1(22)
1 Staying in the Village, Exploring the World of Renqing Guanxi23(28)
"We are brothers and sisters, uncles and nephews"
23(2)
"We Hakkas are real Han; our ancestors came from the Central Plain"
25(4)
"Ku Village is such a good place, with good mountains and good water"
29(6)
"Natural geography brings our village good fengshui"
35(3)
"This is a world of renqing guanxi"
38(13)
2 Talking the Past, Making History51(30)
"The Communist army came to our village"
55(4)
"They said poor people had turned over"
59(3)
"The situation was at its worst; many died of starvation"
62(5)
"They were local emperors"
67(6)
"This was a period of chaos"
73(8)
3 Planting the Pomelo, Walking away from Poverty81(36)
"Villagers suffer poverty throughout their lives"
84(2)
"Dividing the land is good"
86(4)
"Pomelo is our golden fruit"
90(7)
"All day every day is almost the same in the village"
97(4)
"What do farmers rely on? A piece of land and two hands ..."
101(6)
"I prefer life in the village"
107(3)
"It was the way to achieve security"
110(7)
4 Practicing Democracy, Losing Legitimacy117(14)
"It is just old wine in a new bottle"
118(4)
"Our authority cannot be compared with before"
122(9)
"The game of the Communist Party can only cheat the dead"
125(6)
5 Defining Responsibility, Negotiating Relationships131(30)
"The government cannot cheat us any longer"
134(3)
"Today's government doesn't care about us"
137(8)
"The Maoist government cared for the poor and elderly ..."
145(3)
"Cadres have to serve the people"
148(4)
"They aren't good leaders; they lack education"
152(4)
"Not bad, he is the ideal candidate for a village head"
156(5)
6 Expressing Discontent, Carrying out Resistance161(24)
"Nowadays there are more and more taxes"
163(2)
"This is a double taxation"
165(5)
"Money is in our pocket. Nobody can get it."
170(5)
"The Communist Party is excellent at naming"
175(5)
"The river is ours"
180(5)
7 Paying the Price, Getting a Son185(24)
"A couple has the duty and obligation to carry out family planning"
187(2)
"Daughters are outsiders. Spending money on them is like spilling water"
189(5)
"Guerrillas of excess births are the troublemakers"
194(7)
"Those above have policy; those below have countermethods"
201(4)
"School is for education, not for birth control"
205(4)
8 Bypassing Government, Rebuilding the Village209(18)
"Whether we have a good or bad harvest depends on the heavens"
211(6)
"Never forget your roots"
217(5)
"We are old, Ku Village depends on you young people"
222(5)
Conclusion: Leaving the Village227(14)
Villagers as Practical Philosophers
229(1)
The Politics of Memory
230(2)
Economy, Culture, and Politics
232(1)
A Sense of Insecurity
233(1)
Defining Zeren as Moral Politics
234(2)
Popular Resistance in Ku Village
236(5)
Epilogue241(6)
Glossary247(8)
Bibliography255(16)
Index271(16)
About the Author287