Social Stratification in Historical and Comparative Perspectives

Social stratification: an overview Rural social stratification before 1949 Urban class formation in the early 20th c. Urban-rural relations before 1949 Socialist simplifications & political control Reform era transformation in historical perspective Reform era transformations in comparative perspective

Rural Social Stratification before 1949 vast majority of people own and/or rent land; some areas with a few landlords; places in south have large corporate lineages owning property Development of craft industries in the household, not a social division between agricultural and craft producing households

Social change and social mobility Partible inheritance and dangers of downward social mobility Ways to avoid downward mobility: farm land more intensively, clear new land, migrate and open new land, develop handicrafts Commercial expansion brings economic prosperity to villagers as well as townspeople

Urban Class Formation in the early 20th c. New industries creates new classes of industrial workers and entrepreneurs New professional classes: lawyers, doctors, journalists New forms of education: professors, school teachers, students Urban underclasses: gangs and the unemployed-- drugs, prostitution, gambling

Urban-rural relations before 1949 Strong economic, social and political connections through 19th century 20th c urban centers have greater social change Economic changes connect dynamic urban centers and countryside Political inabilities to reach countryside from cities in first half of 20th century

Socialist Simplifications and Social Control Administrative separation of urban and rural societies Land reform and collectivization simplify rural social structures Urban social structures also simplified—get rid of professional classes and underclass; political control (red vs. expert)

Social Control and Political Movements Simplified society is easier for government to control Few autonomous forms of association and networking No market connections Party state can organize political movements and mobilize people more easily in absence of more diversified and stratified society

Reform era transformations in historical perspective Initial reforms begin in agriculture, then formation of rural industries—these changes reduce the urban-rural gap in some areas in the 1980s and early 1990s These changes create new connections across urban and rural areas Subsequent migration out of rural areas to urban centers which is a substantial change in nature of social stratification

Reform era transformations in comparative perspective European pattern of modern social change is movement from rural to urban, from agricultural to industrial. Modern western social stratification largely within urban areas as rural have few people People in rural areas of advanced industrial societies typically poorer than people in urban areas but there are relatively few of them

China’s future social challenges Urban-rural gap: China’s is largest in world because of types of economic growth No country has reduced spatial gaps China faces among regions No country has raised large rural sector to become ‘modern’ like cities