As a result of rapid social and economic development in China, political sociology is encountering new research focuses, such as the social identity of rural migrant workers.

Since the 1980s, advancements in political science and sociology in China have brought about rapid developments in political sociology, a fusion of the two disciplines.

Broad research view

Political sociology uses sociological perspectives and methods to study political phenomena. It focuses on the relationship between the political system and social environment in an effort to reveal the interactions between them.

Liu Jingxi, a professor from Shandong University and deputy editor of the Journal of Literature, History and Philosophy, said the research subjects of political sociology are political systems, organizations and processes, and it employs sociological research views and methods, which determine its unique methodology. This uniqueness lies in the fact that it integrates the artificially separated social and political systems through theoretical reduction, forming an organic whole. Political phenomena are an important feature of this integration.

Under this systematic view, specific research based on society and revealing social and political interactions should be carried out. Therefore, compared with political science, political sociology, though it has similar research subjects, is obviously broader and more open and in terms of research views.

Han Qiang, dean of the Marxist School at Beijing Union University, said that political sociology focuses on the study of political culture, socialization, groups and processes. Although these research fields are involved in modern political science, they are not the focus. However, they fall into the main research areas of political sociology.

Under the guidance of Marxist theory, political sociology absorbed a variety of research methods from multiple disciplines. Xu Wei, deputy director of the Department of Sociology at Wuhan University, said political sociology should first adhere to Marx’s theory on state and class analysis. In this context, from the general methodological point of view, it is close to the structural and functional analysis framework. In terms of specific methods, the empirical method of sociological research is widely used in political sociology.

Political practice

At present, key issues of political sociology in China stem from political practices in society.

Liu said political sociology focuses on three aspects. The first is political identity. Finding ways to make the people of all ethnic groups in the country strengthen their recognition of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the primary concern of domestic political sociology. The second is the study of social and political life in rural areas. Via grassroots democratic reform, this analyzes the profound impacts of social changes based on kinship, as well as issues relating to clans and village power structures and operations. Third, new problems have emerged in the process of rapid economic and social development, such as the fair construction of a social security system and the social identity of rural migrant workers. These must be solved through the modernization of national governance capacity and systems.

Political sociology also needs to offer answers to political values and development. Han said political values lie at the core of political culture. In recent years the proliferation of various social trends necessitated the study of political values. From the external environment, researchers should have a clear understanding of the relationships connecting China’s political development, national conditions and stages of social development in order to better explain China from a perspective of political sociology.

Interaction

As an emerging discipline, political sociology is still weak. Xu said political sociology has not yet formed a unified theoretical basis or common research and evaluation criteria, complicating disciplinary integration and standardization. In addition, China’s political sociology is vague in subject orientation and nature. Also, academic communication is lacking. Related academic societies and research institutions have not conducted extensive and professional academic exchanges, which directly hinders the transfer, accumulation and development of knowledge in the field.

The more prominent problem is that the research of Chinese political sociology lacks theoretical innovation and localization. Xu said many theories of political sociology in China are still quoting sources from abroad, and some of the works are only an introduction and analysis of foreign theories. They are not infused with the Chinese experience and way of thinking, he said.

Han suggested the development of political sociology in China requires scholars and experts to go out of the classroom, schools and research institutions, and conduct research in society and the field to get a glimpse of the “real” state of the political system in operation rather than describe its hypothetical state based on structure.