Citizenation Or Territoriality

With urban development and the rapid growth of demand for land, a large number of landless peasant had been transferred their peasant -household status into residents of non-agricultural household. Faced with this change, rural residents whose Land had been expropriated began to re-understanding of their identity, rights and social status, and constructed the new identities in new social system. In contrast with other study, this research found that the"territoriality" identity had taken place the"citizenation"becomes the main status identity path of the local residents.This research attempted to propose a new conception for discussion:"territoriality". There were three main characteristics of it. Fist, marked with "local" identity label, these former peasants emphasized that the local culture and interests was more important than others. Second, local residents refused to mix in"Shanghai downtown residents"group. And the last, they also took a hierarchic attitude in the Social Stratification, discriminated people from a lower-status group. These phenomena make the "territoriality" identity process runs counter to"citizenation"identity.It found that"path dependence"play an important role in the process of identity construction. During the collectivization era, the national system was a decisive role in establishing the peasant status identity. Status hierarchy in the collectivization era had been internalized to the general life of the peasants by institutional arrangements. Unequal public resource distribution pattern in social hierarchy was formatted and rationalized in status identity. After been expropriated land and changing of status, the rural residents who obtained a new status behave more subjectivity in a more liberal regime conditions. Under the new social system, the process of identity construction had been directed based on the cultural, tradition and local interests, the active choice began take place the planning of the institutional arrangements. Although the social basis of status hierarchy system had being eroded, but in absence of appropriate external intervention, groups with different vested interests would maintain their hierarchy tropism traditions. This is the result of path dependence phenomenon in social identity construction.After land acquisition, the identity of residents presented a clear tendency of"territoriality", this made a significant different with other similar studies they believed the identity reconstruction is follow the way so called"citizenship transformation". As the processes of identity construction, the residents around the interests of individuals and small groups precisely demarcated the border of status, confirmed the right and deposed the rank-ordered. But the status barriers based on institutional arrangements was still existence, new identity of local residents had not get ride of status hierarchy, yet. Their experience of identity change was just a little status upgrade in traditional hierarchy system. But the hierarchical character of social system did not change. Meanwhile, the local authority had supplied various social resources for the local residents so that the ties relied on local interests continually strengthened. The loyalty of these former famers gradually point to the local and its authorities, and excluded other outside groups.The existences of hierarchy can not form a really citizen and citizenship identity, and provide accordingly and systematically protection to civil right. So, land expropriation and status change is impossible provide equal social rights for peasants. With the rise of various local interests, the identity of famers will naturally lead to its territoriality path. It would make the loyal of people move to local authority from state level. And the delimitation of the identity border would put up more local features. All of these would undermine the nation-state cohesion, deeper the erosion of nation-state member identity.