고려대학교

초록/요약

Examining existing narratives of oppositive dichotomy and co-operative symbiosis on state-society relationship in modern and contemporary history of China, this article contemplates several problems embedded in ‘state-society paradigm’. The first one is simplification problem. Almost all of the studies consider ‘state’ and ‘society’ respectively as a monolithic entity and thereby ignoring complexity of both state’s and societal way of being. Oversimplification of the frame ‘state-society’ tends to conceal different ways of life and action in a society. Secondly, teleological problem. When the dichotomy between state and society originating from the Western experiences is introduced to Chinese historical studies, we are likely to assume a certain destination of historical evolution. This implicit assumption leads us to consider all the non-official activities as ‘the social’, thereby undervaluing the role of the state intervention into extra-bureaucratic realms. Thirdly, problem of China particularization. While the oppositive state-society dichotomy intends to apply the Western historical experiences to the Chinese history, the narratives of state-society symbiotic relationship tend to consider this relationship as particular only in Chinese history. But it would be undeniable that various cases of state-society co-operation could be found in all of human histories. Despite above mentioned problems, this article finally evokes the scholarly usefulness of the ‘state-society relationship’ frame not as a normative paradigm, but as one of diverse approaches and methodologies for Chinese historical studies.