Chinese economies in ethnographic perspective: Two case studies of intersecting socioeconomic diversity

Andrew B. Kipnis, Tom Cliff

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    2 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    This article presents economic interactions in two Chinese socioeconomic realms: urban funerals and village-level welfare funds. Ethnographically examining these realms reveals that each of them comprises a diversity of economic processes and moralities. Our first point is thus that 'the economy' is a multiple rather than a singular entity. But just as important are the means by which actors move from one form of economy to another, bridging different sets of moral rules. Diverse economic processes and the methods of moving among them exist everywhere, but in China they also reflect the legal ambiguity under which much economic activity takes place. In addition to detailing the differing forms of economy and the ways of moving among them, we show how the intersection between these processes helps to reproduce a certain social order, at least under the socioeconomic conditions at the time of our research.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1987-2021
    Number of pages35
    JournalModern Asian Studies
    Volume54
    Issue number6
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2020

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