The Current Rural Social Conflict Research In China

The concept of conflict has been defined within multi-disciplines such associology,management and political science,etc. The renowned sociologist LewisA. Coser used to define social conflict as "social conflict is struggle betweenopponents over values and claims to scarce status,power and resources.Both partiesof the aim to damage or hurt the counter part in the struggle."Main contradictionof china,the social republic has shifted from claims contradiction to overthrowthe government.Thus,the purpose of social conflict has changed significantly.The Fouth Plenum of the16thCPC Central Committee made the strategic decisionto build socialist harmonious society.The building of socialist harmonious societyis a systematic project,covering many aspects as politics,economy,cultures andsociety etc.The building of socialist harmonious society does not only thestability of cities,but also has close connection with the stability of ruralsociety.The great proportion rural population accounts for in the whole populationdecides that stability of rural areas influences the stability of economy andsociety of the whole country.Stabilities and development are the major issuesof Chinese rural areas.Stability is the basis for the development.One of the mosturgent problems that need resolution in the new era is to establish a stableenviroment for economical and social development for the rural areas.Since thereform and opening up,especially the the1990s,China has accomplished greatachievements in handling social conflict of rural areas.Channels for peasants’interest expression have been established,legislation upon management of socialconflict in rural areas has been strengthened.However,in the last severalyears,social conflict or even sanguinary incidents in rural took place on afrequent basis due to land disputes,tense relations between the cadres and themasses caused by the corruption of cadres and the influence of religion,whichdisorders the stability of rural areas.Therefore,it is a key subject to reducesocial conflict and social in stability it causes in rural areas for alltransforming nations.Rural social conflict has been analyzed according to their categories andfeatures in order to get a clear image of current rural social conflict.Rural socialconflict can be categorized into four aspects:conflict between local governmentand village;conflict between governance and peasant;conflict between localgovernment and peasants:conflict between peasants. Current rural conflict has taken one some new features,such as change ofconflict entities,elevation of rural social conflict organization.escalation ofconflict forms and promotion of peasants’legal and political senses.This thesis anatomizes social conflict from political,cultural and economicalperspectives and finds the main reasons for social conflicts as follows: shortof basic level public service,obstruction of channels for expression,violenceand corruption in elections;issues of conflict upon interest concept andland:resurrection of religious sense and strengthening of conflict clansense,conflict o rural cultures and legal establishment etc.Based on the above analysis comes up with approaches to confront the conflictby conflict management.specific methods have been raised as follows.First positive outlook of social conflict shall be established;great effortsshall be made to develop economy,increase rural income and resolve problems relatedto land;the building of local governance shall be strengthened,peasants’ senseof autonomy raised and systemized interest expression channels expanded:emphasisshall be put on local culture to solve the social conflict.