Social movements and democratization: a research approach to political transformation in China

Journal of Social Research & Policy, Volume: 9, Issue: 2, pp. 17-29

Date: December 2018

ISSN: 2067-2640 (print), 2068-9861 (electronic)

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to suggest an approach for researching the political transformation of China. By taking a critical review of literature on democratization of China as my point of departure, I argue that previous studies focus too much on structural explanations and neglect constructivist aspects. The structural approach can produce only limited explanations and has regarded the political culture of a society as a static and reified entity, neglecting the constructivist element of the human agent. In addition to examining traditional economic and political institutional change, this paper suggests an approach to the study of democratization that involves examining the construction of political values and culture. This constructivist approach regards political culture as a construction and a contentious process.

Keywords: Democratization; Participatory Democracy; Political Transformation; Social Movement