REVIEW: HOW FAR IS CHINESE SOCIAL SCIENCE FROM SCIENCE? by QIAO XIAOCHUN Reviewed by Lugyal Bum (Klu rgyal 'bum ཀླུ་རྒྱལ་འབུམ། Lijiaben 李加本) (original) (raw)
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A comparison between the Chinese Social
We argue that the communication structures in the Chinese social sciences have not yet been sufficiently reformed. Citation patterns among Chinese domestic journals in three subject areas-political science and marxism, library and information science, and economics-are compared with their counterparts internationally. Like their colleagues in the natural and life sciences, Chinese scholars in the social sciences provide fewer references to journal publications than their international counterparts; like their international colleagues, social scientists provide fewer references than natural sciences. The resulting citation networks, therefore, are sparse. Nevertheless, the citation structures clearly suggest that the Chinese social sciences are far less specialized in terms of disciplinary delineations than their international counterparts.
Reflections on 25 Years of Social Science Research Collaboration in China
Journal of Reproduction and Contraception, 2010
This paper is to reflect on 25 wonderful years of my collaboration with the Chinese scientists and policy makers on social science and operations research in sexual reproductive health. Past and ongoing collaboration is reviewed, followed by a discussion on the record of achievements and ideas for future directions and research priorities. The paper represents my views based on an exceptionally rich personal and professional experience working with numerous Chinese scientists on a range of research topics. However, it is limited to projects on social science and operations research and training in sexual and reproductive health that have been sponsored by the Special Programme in Human Reproduction, Department of Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva. The Special Programme supports research and training, among other topics, on social science and operations research in sexual and reproductive health. As a staff member working in this area, I have had the privilege to visit many countries and to work with numerous researchers all over the developing world. However, China holds a special place for me personally and this paper summarizes my experiences and thoughts.
2018
In this concise and well-researched book, Chen Hon-Fai offers a fascinating new conspectus of the discipline's history and current situation. The role of the state and transnational networks in shaping Chinese sociology are carefully analyzed. So too are the attempts of several pioneering individuals to indigenize the discipline. Everywhere, the turbulent politics of China affects the sociological scene. A stimulating contribution to the study of sociology as a global phenomenon, Chen Hon-Fai's probing new book is highly recommended.
Political Science Research on China: Making the Most of Diversity
This article aims at stimulating debate on the future development of political science research in and on China by bringing into clearer view the diversity of social science research in the West. It argues that far from monolithic, political science is itself engaged in a broad controversy on common goals and shared standards. Secondly, addressing international students of Chinese politics the article observes that we are currently witnessing a transformation of the field as we experience a slight shift toward more quantitative work. However, those China scholars working in a qualitative tradition should not see this as a hostile takeover of the field. Rather they should take this as a stimulating opportunity to employ more refined methodologies from within their own tradition as well as engage in multimethod research. The challenge is to make the most of diversity and to engage in fruitful cross-cultural dialogue based on respect for each other’s viewpoints. Three major divides need to be bridged: between qualitative and quantitative approaches, between political science and area studies as well as between Chinese and Western scholars.
2013
In this heavily annotated article the provocative thesis is submitted that there is something fundamentally wrong with Western Sinology, or 'Chinakunde', or 'Zhongguoxue' (as distinct from 'Hanxue', which is a kind of old-fashioned philology). 'China experts' either pretend to be knowledgeable about everything related to China, in which case they cannot be taken seriously, or - eventually - admit not to be scientific all-rounders with respect to the country, in which case they cannot be called 'China experts'. The author, who graduated in Sinology from Leyden University and in economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam, not only believes that the study of China has to be taken to a higher level (a belief he expects few tenured professors of Chinese Studies/History will share); he also explains how this long overdue task can be accomplished. Sinologists should take the complexity turn. They should treat China as a 'Ganzheit' (not: 'Gesamtheit'), as a territory-bound, history-moulded and culture-soaked totality of identifiable yet interdependent (f)actors, as a whole intimately interconnected with its numerous parts, as a hypercomplex system of complex, adaptive and non-linear systems of political, military, legal, economic, financial, social, medical, educational, artistic or other nature. Firmly distancing itself from multidisciplinary research (which in practice is a matter of juxta- rather than composition), the new study of China requires a well-thought-out, balanced division of labour. Close collaboration with ICT-driven, China-oriented experts in the natural, social and human sciences willing to co-operate with each other is a sine qua non for comprehending the country that seems to be moving to the centre stage of world politics. The study of China should be mile-wide and mile-deep. The heyday of Sinology is yet to come! An earlier version of this highly critical but undeniably constructive paper was rejected out of hand by the editors of leading 'Chinese/Asian Studies' journals. The author claims to have reason to suspect them (and other so-called China experts) of being 'bought by China'!
The End of the ‘Educated Youth Era’ in Chinese Social Science
Reading the China Dream, 2021
Social science research in China in the 2000s is much better funded, more professionally organized, but also narrower and less lively than in the 1980s. This essay, originally published in Chinese in 2015, traces these changes to the life experiences of the "educated youth"-- the 20 million urban youth who were sent to the countryside for extended periods in the 1960s and 1970s and returned to cities in the 1980s. Some of them played a leading role in the development of social research in China after the Cultural Revolution. Their life trajectories are deeply intertwined with contemporary Chinese politics, economy and thought. This English version is translated and introduced by David Ownby.
International Journal of China Studies, 2010
International Journal of China Studies, Vol. 1, No. 3, December 2010, pp. 667-777 (111 pp. + iii). [Scopus] https://www.dropbox.com/s/5js3b1wf2fd4a7f/IJCS-V1N3-combined-text-200111-with-cover.pdf
International Journal of China Studies, 2013
International Journal of China Studies, Vol. 4, No. 1, April 2013, pp. 1-175 (175 pp. + iii). [Scopus - Q1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/9ykfigt19wx83wy/IJCS-V4N1-hi-res-combined-text-cover-290413.pdf
International Journal of China Studies, 2012
International Journal of China Studies, Vol. 3, No. 1, April 2012, pp. 1-114 (114 pp. + iii). [Scopus - Q1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/jceqwq2l0mzcsm1/IJCS-V3N1-combined-text-040512-with-cover.pdf