Individual, society and state in public controversies in urban China

Adopting a constructivism standpoint, and using theoretical resource of French New Pragmatic Sociology, this thesis try to describe and interpret the practical relations between individuals, society and state in contemporary urban China by analyzing a three-year long public controversy in Shenzhen.;It is widely accepted that neighborhood-based collective action is determined by interest or certain consciousness. This thesis nevertheless challenges this conventional wisdom. By analyzing the trajectory of the controversy with a focus on the inter-configuration of culture, strategic action and institutions, I find that the actors did not pre-determined by any given factor. Rather, they situationally used public reasons and strategies, and reworked the form of their association to anchor these changes. In their multiple justifications, the worth of science become increasingly important, and a "place-based new collectivism" was the chief justification in the protesters' compromise with their antagonist.;Starting from a radical strategy used by a protester at the end of the controversy, I approach the stability-centered principle of social administration in China. I find that this principle, together with Emergency Management System and Target Management Responsibility System, shape the non-routine behavior of local cadres on the one hand, and radical strategy of protesters on the other hand. Chinese social administration is consequently featured as an issue-based one.;Finally, I discuss the possible contribution of French New Pragmatic Sociology to the studies on state-society relation and the other sub-areas in China Studies with the findings of this thesis.