CJS 2024年第1期目录

Sociological studies on Chinese religion since the turn of the century

Yunfeng Lu and He Sheng

Department of Sociology, Peking University, China

Abstract

This paper reviews research on the sociology of religion in China since the beginning of the new century. In terms of theoretical research, there are three main themes: first, research focusing on C. K. Yang's sociological study on religion, especially the theories of diffused religion and institutional religion; second, the dialogue with forefront issues such as the application of and controversies related to the rational choice theory of religion in China; and third, indigenous theoretical constructs, including “religious ecology theory” and the theory of the “Sinicization of religion”. In terms of quantitative research, this article reviews progress in the measurement of Chinese religiosity.

Keywords

Sociology, Chinese religion, new century, research progress

The shackles of gender still exist: Chinese women authors’ consciousness in boys’ love fiction

Wen Ma ¹ , Zhuo Chen ¹ , Ying Li ¹ ,

Guodong Ju ² and Yunsong Chen ¹

1 Department of Sociology, Nanjing University, China

2 Department of Social Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK

Abstract

Boys’ love (BL) fiction has flourished in China since the beginning of the twenty-first century. It primarily focuses on the romance between men, while most authors and readers of BL fiction are heterosexual women; thus it is paradoxically patriarchal and feminist. This study aims to explore two main questions: (1) What topics do Chinese BL fiction authors prefer? (2) How do the gender concepts of Chinese culture affect the topics and contents of BL fiction? Adopting machine learning methods––the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic model and word vector technology—this study presents the typical topics and specific contents of 72,548 original BL fiction pieces from synchronic and diachronic dimensions. The findings reveal that Chinese BL fiction extensively uses Chinese myths and history to create heterosexually structured fantasies. Furthermore, under the Chinese patriarchal culture, primarily the clan concept, BL authors attach great importance to marriage and reproduction issues. Such discourses eventually limit Chinese BL women authors’ awakening of a feminist consciousness.

Keywords

Boys’ love fiction, Chinese women, feminism, Chinese culture, clan concept, machine learning

Factors enhancing the intention to migrate from more developed to less developed areas

Cheng Chow and Eric Fong

Department of Sociology, The University of Hong Kong, China

Abstract

Despite the prevalence of global migration flows from more developed to less developed areas, few studies have been conducted on this phenomenon. This research utilizes data recently collected in 2020 regarding migration intentions among residents of Hong Kong considering moving from Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland. Our study aims to understand the role of social networks and perceptions of destinations in migration intentions. The results suggest that social networks, perceptions of governance quality, and perceived knowledge of the overall development plan for destinations are significantly related to the intention to migrate from more developed to less developed areas. The analysis further indicates an indirect relationship where strong social networks enhance the perception of governance quality and the understanding of development plans to reinforce migration intentions. These findings underscore the complexity of migration dynamics and highlight the need for a nuanced understanding of migration drivers beyond economic factors.

Keywords

Migration intentions, reverse migration, social networks, migration governance, non-economic migration factors

Transition and continuation: A typological study of intergenerational relationships in Chinese families

Xuhui Zeng and Yifeng Li

Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences, China

Abstract

In contrast to the intergenerational relations of families in the West, Chinese families emphasize mutual support and care among family members and consider parenting and filial duty a continuous process. Based on the typology of intergenerational relations in Western countries, this study constructs an analytical framework for Chinese families consisting of two dimensions: living arrangements and functional exchange. On this basis, it also proposes four potential types of intergenerational relationship: tight-knit, instrumental, independent, and parental support. Using a latent class analysis of nationally representative China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study data helped us understand the different forms of intergenerational relationship and have a better understanding of their development trends. Several things can be learned from the findings. The significant share of the instrumental type and the emergence of the independent and parental support types indicate a change in intergenerational relationships in contemporary China. Although the traditional tight-knit type is no longer the dominant model, close intergenerational linkages are maintained through the instrumental and parental support types, and almost half of parents continue to have a close relationship with their children. This indicates that parenting and filial duty are preserved, reflecting the continuation of intergenerational relationships. The study also found that the type of intergenerational relationship is significantly influenced by the socioeconomic statuses of offspring and parents, indicating the reproduction of social inequality.

Keywords

Intergenerational relationships, latent class analysis, socioeconomic status, China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

The paradox of seeking help: Socioeconomic inequality in medical crowdfunding in the era of the mobile internet

Cheng Cheng ¹ and Yifei Ren ²

1 Department of Sociology, Research Center for Health and Medical Sociology, Southeast University, China

2 Department of Sociology, Zhejiang University, China

Abstract

In recent years, the emergence of mobile-internet-based crowdfunding has provided a new way for the poor to obtain emergency relief for medical needs. Despite a number of reported scams, medical crowdfunding has made an important contribution to society. Public opinion and sentiment highlight two practical issues: Are the resources being directed to the people who need them the most? And how can we optimize medical crowdfunding? To tackle these questions, we focus on the issue of how the socioeconomic status (SES) of help-seekers affects their online medical crowdfunding outcomes. We ask three research questions: What is the correlation between the SES of help-seekers and their fundraising outcomes? What are the underlying mechanisms? Is there a possible path for the optimization of medical crowdfunding outcomes? Our dataset includes 1930 fundraising cases from a large medical crowdfunding platform in China. The study finds significant differences in crowdfunding outcomes among different socioeconomic groups. Higher SES brings higher donation amounts, higher proportions of fundraising targets reached, a higher number of donations received, and more shares on social media. This socioeconomic gradient in crowdfunding outcomes contradicts the social expectation of prioritizing help to the neediest in medical crowdfunding. Mediation analysis also shows that offline interpersonal networks play an important intermediary role. While appealing case narratives are helpful, they are not an intermediary mechanism that links family SES with crowdfunding outcomes. Further analysis also finds that such a socioeconomic gradient seems to weaken when crowdfunding that begins within a private network of offline acquaintances on WeChat moves to public platforms.

Keywords

Medical crowdfunding, health inequality, social capital, cultural capital, mobile internet

The moral (bio)politics of the abnormal: Situating a Southwest China border town in global AIDS governance

Hongxin Fang

School of Social and Public Administration, East China University of Science and Technology, China

Abstract

This paper analyses the interaction of two models in the social process of global AIDS governance and explores the possibilities of innovation in the social response to risk. The two moral regimes by which to cope with problematized situations in the contemporary world are conceptualized as the “center” and the “border”. The center promotes a normative discourse in the name of defending society, reifying order and pursuing cost-effectiveness in operations. The border undertakes exploratory social action guided by a specific idea of “goodness”. While the two approaches engage in continuous battles, with integration and penetration between them, in the case of people living with HIV worldwide, they were first degraded into a separated biomedical pariah population, and then were brought under the strict medical regime of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART). This shift between abject exclusion and exceptional inclusion indicates the meta-structure of life governance in the contemporary world. China's border cities are key outposts of global AIDS governance that reflect how the institutional deployment of exclusion and inclusion extends from global to local. The “ zuo aizibing