a social scientist interested in studying China (East Asian) development Phone: 852-2358-7780 Address: Division of Social Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, HONG KONG
This paper is a response to recent debates within Marxist sociology concerning the nature of the ... more This paper is a response to recent debates within Marxist sociology concerning the nature of the working class. The author argues that the study of the working class should start with concrete social forms, i.e. occupations, instead of with abstract criteria and definitions. This argument is developed through a historical analysis of the evolving class position of clerical labor in the United States. The conclusion is that clerical workers have, during the course of capitalist develop ment, descended from the new middle class to the working class.
their protection through regional arrangements (as with the former Soviet republics) assures them... more their protection through regional arrangements (as with the former Soviet republics) assures them of a future. At the same time as the number of states is increasing, so is the strength of regional arrangements. These may, as with the European Union, actually encourage ethnic variety. But they cannot encourage total independence, which is less and less of a viable option for “nations” such as the Miskito (who are surveyed here) or the Sri Lanka Tamils (who are not). Time has passed much of this book by. It also lacks a theoretical framework which might explain the continued power of ethnicity and the mobilization of previously dormant “nations.” It does not canvass the possibility that some separatists are simply being used by stronger powers and interests, such as the greater powers, mining companies or intelligence services. Nationalism is a phenomenon often connected with increasing education and wider horizons, rather than with “traditional” isolation. Peoples may not realize that they are “nations” until their newly educated intelligentsia returns from elsewhere and tells them they are. “Nations” may co-exist with a larger and more powerful society within the nation-state border, as do the Welsh or the Quebecois to a large degree. Cultural autonomy and cultural retention may be enough, without taking to the hills and jungles. There are a host of issues and questions which need to be posed to give some coherence and sense to a collection such as this before it can survive the now very rapid passage of events.
China has undergone rapid and sustained economic transformation in the last 30 years. Its develop... more China has undergone rapid and sustained economic transformation in the last 30 years. Its development has been remarkable for a number of reasons. In the first place, its gross domestic product has increased at close to ten percent per year since 1978, and the country managed to reduce the share of the population living on less than US$1 per day from 64 percent in 1981 to 16 percent by 2006; effectively lifting 400 million people out of absolute poverty (UNDP 2006). The rapid growth rate was matched nowhere in the world except for the so-called miracle economies of Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. In the second place, although the Chinese economy has its share of problems, such as tremendous regional disparity, it also succeeded in upgrading its technological capability and escaped the threat of foreign domination. Over the years, not only has China become the global factory for inexpensive consumer goods, it has also enticed BP, General Motors, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, and other corporations to locate part of their research and development facilities in China. Furthermore, despite the importance of foreign investors both as producers aiming at the global market, or as retailers targeting the domestic one, foreign capital remains largely a junior partner in China’s development project. In the third place, despite the downfall of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, China’s communist party-state has continued to provide leadership for the country.
This paper is a response to recent debates within Marxist sociology concerning the nature of the ... more This paper is a response to recent debates within Marxist sociology concerning the nature of the working class. The author argues that the study of the working class should start with concrete social forms, i.e. occupations, instead of with abstract criteria and definitions. This argument is developed through a historical analysis of the evolving class position of clerical labor in the United States. The conclusion is that clerical workers have, during the course of capitalist develop ment, descended from the new middle class to the working class.
their protection through regional arrangements (as with the former Soviet republics) assures them... more their protection through regional arrangements (as with the former Soviet republics) assures them of a future. At the same time as the number of states is increasing, so is the strength of regional arrangements. These may, as with the European Union, actually encourage ethnic variety. But they cannot encourage total independence, which is less and less of a viable option for “nations” such as the Miskito (who are surveyed here) or the Sri Lanka Tamils (who are not). Time has passed much of this book by. It also lacks a theoretical framework which might explain the continued power of ethnicity and the mobilization of previously dormant “nations.” It does not canvass the possibility that some separatists are simply being used by stronger powers and interests, such as the greater powers, mining companies or intelligence services. Nationalism is a phenomenon often connected with increasing education and wider horizons, rather than with “traditional” isolation. Peoples may not realize that they are “nations” until their newly educated intelligentsia returns from elsewhere and tells them they are. “Nations” may co-exist with a larger and more powerful society within the nation-state border, as do the Welsh or the Quebecois to a large degree. Cultural autonomy and cultural retention may be enough, without taking to the hills and jungles. There are a host of issues and questions which need to be posed to give some coherence and sense to a collection such as this before it can survive the now very rapid passage of events.
China has undergone rapid and sustained economic transformation in the last 30 years. Its develop... more China has undergone rapid and sustained economic transformation in the last 30 years. Its development has been remarkable for a number of reasons. In the first place, its gross domestic product has increased at close to ten percent per year since 1978, and the country managed to reduce the share of the population living on less than US$1 per day from 64 percent in 1981 to 16 percent by 2006; effectively lifting 400 million people out of absolute poverty (UNDP 2006). The rapid growth rate was matched nowhere in the world except for the so-called miracle economies of Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. In the second place, although the Chinese economy has its share of problems, such as tremendous regional disparity, it also succeeded in upgrading its technological capability and escaped the threat of foreign domination. Over the years, not only has China become the global factory for inexpensive consumer goods, it has also enticed BP, General Motors, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, and other corporations to locate part of their research and development facilities in China. Furthermore, despite the importance of foreign investors both as producers aiming at the global market, or as retailers targeting the domestic one, foreign capital remains largely a junior partner in China’s development project. In the third place, despite the downfall of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, China’s communist party-state has continued to provide leadership for the country.
Uploads
Papers by Alvin So