Changes in Chinese Lineage and Politics : A Case Study in Rural Hubei

抄録

This article based on research in rural Hubei Province explores the processes of change in Chinese lineages and politics in three periods: before 1949, during the years of land reform and collectivization, and since the economic reforms of 1978. It argues that neither Freedman's functional model nor Chen's kinship model adequately explain the causes and mechanisms through which lineages and segments weaken and reunify. It attempts to demonstrate how actors have had an impact on the lineage structure through the mobilization of various kinds of social relations to which they have access through their varied positions in the internal and external political systems. It proposes that a focus on influential individuals is vital, not only in grasping the overall nature of traditional lineages, but also in delineating the interrelationship between lineages and political power after 1949.