Research On Citizen Identity In Political Socialization Of Contemporary China

Political socialization is a process of developing political person, and spreadingpolitical culture and values. From the angle of individuality, it is to develop politicalcitizens and form their correct political values, attitudes and behaviors and makethem have participating passion and capability, therefore it’s a process of becomingqualified citizens from social persons; from the angle of society, political socializationis to spread certain leading political culture to citizens through various educations andeffects, realizing citizens’ identity of political systems and values, developing theirloyalty and responsibility, making them in accordance with the certain social politicalrequirements, and taking on certain political roles so as to realize social stability.Political socialization and citizen identity have inner relationship. Politicalsocialization is means and ways of realizing citizen identity, which is the importantgoal of political socialization. As the principal part of national political life, howcitizenship forms suitable self and takes what attitudes towards current politicalculture, systems and values, which is vital to social stability and significant to carryout citizen identity. Citizen identity is the basis of national Political legitimacy. Onlywhen we realize citizen identity and form consistent citizen social consensus do weenhance and realize social integration. Accordingly, citizen identity in politicalsocialization is to form suitable citizenship and realize citizens’ identification ofpolitical culture and values by educating and influencing citizens. In a nationalpolitical life, citizen is vital to safeguard national peace and a main part to participatein social public affairs. Research on citizen identity in political socialization ofcontemporary China is to make citizens form right identity, become active participantsin national politics and positive supporters by clearing up the right relations betweencitizens and nations, thus realizing citizen’s identifying the road of building socialismwith Chinese characteristics. This is vital to social harmonious development, andsignificant to condensing the strength of whole society and realizing the stability andunity of the country. Research on citizen identity in political socialization is a must tomake sure what a citizen is and what behavior a citizen should holds, which is the basis to establishing citizen’s self-identity and social identity. Western citizen ideasare the resources for us to understand the notion of citizen contemporarily. Citizenshipreveals the relationship between citizens and nations. Citizens are equal nationalmembers who participate in national public affairs and have certain rights, obligationsand public spirits and contract consciousness.Identity is a kind of psychological expression of self-identity and his-identity.This dissertation is to study citizen identity in political socialization, analyzing on twolevels. One is self-identity, the other is social identity. Citizen’s self identity is hisself-orientation and identification, a kind of self-awareness and self-understanding.In a political country, how to make citizens identify the social political systems,dominant political ideology and the leading social values, that is the behavior needs ofthe subject which the society expects to convert into, is the requirement of citizens’social identity.In political socialization, realizing citizen identity is an activity that a politicalnation maintains social stability, spreads political culture and develops citizens thesociety needs. Any nation attaches importance to the role of political socialization, bywhich realizing citizen identity is the common practice of a political nation. Chineseand foreign political thinkers have rich thought resources concerning realizing citizenidentity in political socialization. And Marxism related discussion also offers muchguidance to it. Citizen identity in political socialization is the result of mutualfunction of subject and object on the basis of practice, citizen’s self-constructionbased on existing “psychological schema”, and a kind of internal psychologicalprocess produced on the basis of certain cognitive, emotional and valuable judgment.This process is, therefore, affected by not only individual mental mechanism but alsosocial mechanism, the former mainly including rational analysis mechanism,emotions influence mechanism, ideal faith guiding mechanism and social practicestrengthening mechanism while the latter involving value guiding mechanism, benefitreadjusting mechanism, political cultural restraint and system integrationmechanism.The goal of citizen identity in political socialization of contemporary China is to form qualified citizens on the part of citizenship self-identity. Accordingly, a qualifiedcitizen must deal with the relationship well between individual and social standardand try to be a right, obligated, ethic and national citizen the society needs. From theangle of social identity, it is to form a common social sense of a citizen, which is theadhesion of realizing social harmonious stability. Therefore, the common social sensethat should be formed by citizen identity in political socialization of contemporaryChina is:1. the consensus of citizens thinking of the political nation;2. the agreementof citizens’ socialist core value system;3.the common view of all citizens hangingtogether, co-building a harmonious socialist society.Citizen identity, as a kind of process of constructing ideas, must be affected bythe real world, for normality of identity would be broken and identity crisis wouldoccur when the transformation took place in society and Permanent ceased to exist.Citizen identity in political socialization of contemporary China occurs in the socialbackground of marketization, rationalization and network when social construction istransformed, and the notion of globalization coexists with that of diverse values.Therefore, it must face the challenge of the social influence and meanwhile we cansee that subject consciousness is grave, and that there is a big gap between therealization of citizen politics and that of economic equities, and that livelihood issues,expression mechanism of citizen interest, and realization of citizen rights all need tobe further improved, and that, in addition, social corruption is still serious and citizeneducation is scarce. All these become real obstacles against citizen identity reality.The realization of citizen identity in political socialization of contemporaryChina, the basis and the guarantee of which is the progress of politics, economy andculture in the society of socialism with Chinese characteristics, for economicdevelopment is premise of carrying out national wealth and improving people’s lifeconditions, and political civilization is the condition of pledging political systemfairness and realizing citizen political rights. Moreover, cultural prosperity offersspirit motivation and cultural support. We must play the role of different subject ofpolitical socialization and make families, schools, society and mass media, etc.become the important path of realizing citizen identity, and constantly optimize educational impacting functions of various social environments. In addition, we willtake various measures, particularly by implementing value guidance, setting rightcitizen values. Finally, we’ll realize citizen identity by regulating political psychology,developing citizen’s correct social mentality, smoothing interest expression,cultivating motivated basis of citizen identity, perfecting political communication,building dialogue mechanism of citizen identity, carrying out ordered politicalparticipation, improving citizen identity standard, and perfecting the legal system, etc.