China

Contemporary China is in many ways enigmatic. Its stunning economic, technological and sociocultural transformations have taken place at a pace and scale that is unprecedented in human history. At the same time, the Communist Party has maintained a tight grip on the population and on the economy, society and culture. How can we understand the dramatic transformations that have turned China into the world's second-largest economy in a very short period of time?In this book Chang Kyung-Sup uses his distinctive theory of compressed modernity to make sense of the changes that have swept through China in recent decades. Whereas in Western societies, modernization was a process that took place over several centuries, in Asia and some other parts of the world, the process of modernization often took place in a rapid and highly compressed fashion – not over centuries but in decades. Nowhere is this more evident than in China. But rapid modernization carries risks and hazards of its own.The enigmas of contemporary China are analysed by Chang as manifestations of compressed modernity with Chinese characteristics. In this new perspective, the author offers a uniquely persuasive account of Chinese post-socialism, addressing various social conditions and developmental dynamics including changing family structures, rapid urbanization, the intensive focus on education, the transformation of workplace cultures and the pivotal role of an authoritarian party-state. This fresh analysis of China as a prime example of compressed modernity will be illuminating for anyone interested in understanding the changes that have transformed China in recent decades – and what their consequences are likely to be.