Font Size: a A A

Sociological Analysis Of Bride Price In Transitional Rural Areas

Posted on:2012-11-15Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:S S WangFull Text:PDF
GTID:2217330368997310Subject:Sociology
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
Since the reform and opening policy, dramatic social transformation has taken place in China, with the process of modernization spreading over to every corner of the society. Under this circumstance, rural society has also been undergoing a social transformation and the process of modernization in rural areas is also developing fast. However, some traditional forms such as, the rural culture and rural customs rooted in the local soil, is still a troublesome problem for rural modernization. Therefore, this thesis looks into process of rural modernization by analyzing bride price in rural areas, which is a unique social phenomenon, trying to reflect the construction of rural civilization.This thesis selected a village in northern Henan Province as its research sample. Qualitative interviews and field research method is used to make a deep description of rural bride price classified and summarized according to different period of reform and opening. Furthermore, this thesis analyzes the criteria of the amount of bride price in different social class and reasons for the different criteria. Thereafter, this thesis studies the flow of the bride price and its impact on the process of modernization. Through the research, it is observed that items of the bride price in rural areas develop gradually from a single expenditure for formal engagement into different expenditure for informal engagement, formal engagement. identifying the door, bride's clothes, holidays and dowry. The criteria of bride price also changes by this pattern: parents'decision to local criteria and then to individual criteria, in which process the amount of the bride price increases. Certainly, this trend has its rationality, but it also has some negative effects. On the one hand the phenomenon of bride price inherited the traditional folk culture, on the other hand the increasingly complex form of bride price also increased the financial and mental burden of farmers, and most badly, it hinders the process of rural modernization.This thesis consists of five parts. The first part introduces the research background, research review, instruments and general information of the survey sites. The second part illustrates the related theories. The third part presents the current condition of bride price of village X in transition period. Section Four discusses the flow of bride price from traditional period to the modern times. The last part offers an overall reflection of this study.
Keywords/Search Tags:Social transformation, Bride price, Modernization
PDF Full Text Request
Related items