Research On The Evolution Of Contemporary Chinese Collectivism Model

Generally, the way we research collectivism is from the relationship between individual, community and collective. Moreover, we are used to comparing the difference between individualism and collectivism in this procedure. The different assumptions of the basic relationship between individual, community and collective are the logical starting point of different theory factions. Their theories are reflected in the academic pedigree which formed by the relationship between individual and collective poles. Traditional study of collectivism has been limited in Ethics and Political Philosophy area. The researchers regarded collectivism as moral principle or a suit of conceptual system.This dissertation tries to analyze collectivism in multi-disciplinary perspective. In this Perspective, collectivism, first and foremost, is a belief system. It holds the collective-based value tropism, upholds moral principle which public good and individual good are organic unity, and stresses dialectical development of the individual and the collective. However, the set of collectivism itself is not just a moral principle, a kind of spiritual belief systems. It also exists in the society's economic, political, moral and many other fields. As a belief system, collectivism should not only have its Social infrastructure and system security, but it also has specific economic system, political system and cultural system.In chapter 2, I sort out the related literature review. The main contents include the following aspects, such as individual, collective and freedom, the moral principle of collectivism, the institutional form of it, the psychological structure of it, the organization pattern of it, and the action mode of it. At last, I draw a conclusion that is "the structuration of collectivism". The production, development and change process of collectivism in the human society is the development and change in the internal structure of collectivism. The structural course of collectivism is a dynamic process. The course of structural process and destructural process is the internal way of collectivism development.Based on the current and internal logic of the development of collectivism in human history, I suggest that there are three criterions in assessing collectivism: theorized degree, systematized degree and organized degree. Most Communities in traditional society were natural. And collectivism was also natural. In the process of development from traditional society to modern society, the important aspect in the development of collectivism is from natural collectivism to modern collectivism which is more constructive characters. Collectivism in modern society manifests non-natural character. It is the result of initiative construct by people under some theory guidance. In a certain sense, it is identified as a kind of constructed collectivism. There are four modes of collectivism in modern society:the theoretical collectivism, the authoritative collectivism, the autonomous collectivism and the collectivism of law.This dissertation insists that the formation and development of collectivism in contemporary China is a constant structural process. The internal structure of the collectivism mode is creating, developing and changing constantly, which then boosts the collectivism in contemporary China endlessly. The structural process of collectivism mode is a course in which the integral parts and structure of collectivism are created and developed by actors'constant practice. There are four principles in structural process of collectivism:benefit-driving principle, power-directing principle, goal-directing principle and theorization and rationalization principle. The structural process of collectivism in contemporary China is promoted to new phase by its internal conflicts. The structural methods of collectivism mode include theorizing, symbolizing, systematizing, and organizing process. The specific process of collectivism mode in contemporary China shows:(1) Theoretical collectivism's propagation, formation and socialization in China (1914-1951); (2) The forming and developing process of authoritative collectivism in China (1952-1978); (3) The transforming process of authoritative collectivism (1978-1992); (4) The synchronic developing process of autonomous collectivism and collectivism of law (1992 to now).Further more, the dissertation continues to explore the dynamic structure of the evolution of collectivism mode. It contains internal dynamic and outer one. The internal dynamic is mainly pushed by collectivism's internal elements and the power produced by structural conflict from their interaction. The dynamic structure of collectivism mode in contemporary China emphasizes the actors are in the central. The practice of actors is the central axis for the collective spirit, the collective system, collective psychology, the environment (resources), collective action and collective order. The dynamic structure includes five aspects:First, different actors' subject relationship based on the power and benefits forms the subject structure of collectivism; Second, the structure of resource support and actors alteration occurs between circumstance (resource) and actors; Third, the value interaction structure is produced by the value lead, values identity, value innovation between collectivism sprit and actors; Fourth, the psychology structure of mentality mode support and psychology indentify is formed from the collective psychology and actors; Fifth, the action structure comes from the actors, circumstance (resource), collectivism spirit, collective system, collective psychology, collective action and collective order.The historical types of collectivism include:original collectivism, family community collectivism, city-state community collectivism, agriculture community collectivism, patriarchal collectivism and socialism collectivism. The historical track of collectivism mode in contemporary China stemmed from the Marxism propagated in China. Moreover, contemporary Chinese collectivism sprit was engendered in this process. The progress from patriarchal collectivism to socialism collectivism had suffered the deconstruction of democratic revolution to patriarchal collectivism, the collectivism value combination and collectivization in the period of socialism revolution, the collective institution embedded internally and adjustment in the commune period. The Cultural Revolution extremely promoted the development of authoritative collectivism, strengthening its authoritative feature. After reform and opening up, the production responsibility system of "household responsibility system" had a fundamental impact on the authoritative collectivism of the planned economy. The development of socialism market economy promotes the separation between the state and society. In this progress collectivism had constantly differentiation and integration. After reform and opening up, the direction of collectivism mode in contemporary China ought to be the value innovation as the guide, individual right as the starting point, modern system as the core, collective autonomy as the basis, and macroscopic conformity as adjust mechanism.Based on the above, the dissertation keeps on exploring its dynamic mechanism. The dynamic mechanism of collectivism mode in contemporary China is the way how every element affects each other, overcomes hinders, and promotes the development of collectivism mode constantly. The mechanisms include:the transformation mechanism between collectivism spirit, psychology and behavior, the operating mechanism of collective institution and the development mechanism of collective organization.