Call for Papers

Chinese Individuals in Dilemma:
Rethinking China’s Path to Individualization in the New Era

Guest editors:

Canglong Wang (University of Brighton, UK)
Yunxiang Yan (University of California, Los Angeles, USA)
Jun Yang (East China University of Science and Technology, China)

Concept Note

The individualization thesis was first proposed by Western sociologists such as Ulrich Beck (Beck 1992; Beck and Beck-Gernsheim 2002), Anthony Giddens (1991), and Zygmunt Bauman (2000) in the late 20th century, aiming to explain how individuals in late modernity gradually disembed from traditional social structures, gaining more autonomy and choice. Over the past two decades, the individualization thesis has been widely applied by sociologists globally to various social issues. Researchers have utilized this theoretical framework to explore the complex dynamics of multiple identities (Speck 2013), social mobility (Botterill 2014), changes in family structures (Smart and Shipman 2004; Kyung-Sup 2014; Yan 2023), cultural transformations (Houtman, Aupers, and Koster 2016), and political actions (Gøtzsche-Astrup 2023) in modern society. Through the study of individualization processes across different cultural and social contexts, scholars have revealed the diverse manifestations and universal challenges of individualization worldwide, providing significant theoretical support and practical insights for understanding individual behavior and social structure transformations in modern societies.

In China, the process of individualization has followed a path distinct from that in the West (Yan 2009; Hansen and Svarverud 2010). Chinese individualization occurs not only within the context of modernization and globalization but is also deeply influenced by traditional culture and state intervention. Although the rapid advancement of marketization and urbanization has allowed individuals in China to disembed from traditional family and community structures, gaining more personal freedom and social mobility, the Confucian values of relationalism, family responsibility, and social harmony continue to profoundly shape individual behavior and the construction of social roles (Wang 2022, 2023). Moreover, while the socialist state has promoted economic and social development, it has also influenced the process of individualization through various policy measures, creating a unique model that both fosters individual autonomy and reinforces collective identity and social stability (Yan 2010). Some scholars have described the Chinese path of individualization as “state-managed individualization” (Yan 2009) or “authoritarian individualization” (Hansen 2015).

In the past decade, the process of individualization has faced unprecedented dilemmas and new challenges in China. The increasing state control over social and personal life, particularly the intensification of internet censorship and restrictions on free speech, has severely limited individual self-expression and freedom of action (Xiao 2019). This presents a stark contrast to the individual autonomy highlighted in individualization thesis. Simultaneously, the “common prosperity” policy, although aimed at alleviating social inequality, has introduced new economic uncertainties, particularly for the middle and upper classes, as state interventions have increased their economic pressures and instability (Wu 2022). The implementation of fine-tuned social governance and the widespread adoption of social credit systems, while maintaining social order, have also posed challenges to individual freedom and privacy, further exacerbating individual vulnerability under state intervention (Scoggins 2023).

Moreover, the downward economic pressure and instability in the job market, especially during the post-pandemic economic recovery, have left many young people struggling with unemployment, declining incomes, and rising living costs, leading to the emergence of the “lying flat” (tangping) phenomenon (Zheng et al. 2023). This phenomenon reflects a passive coping strategy adopted by individuals in response to economic and social uncertainties, highlighting new dilemmas within the individualization process. At the same time, consolidated authoritarianism has gradually replaced personal interests and choices with collective interests and state goals, with the reinforcement of traditional morals and social norms further limiting individual autonomy in society. In summary, under these multiple pressures, China’s individualization process has shifted from a mere expansion of personal autonomy to a deep-seated dilemma, where individuals, constrained by both state and societal structures, are increasingly losing control over their destinies.

These new developments have already attracted the attention of some researchers (e.g., Lu, Yang, and Qin 2021; Wang 2023). Specifically, Yan Yunxiang (2021) asserts that China has entered a version of individualization 2.0, where in this new stage, neo-familism, nationalism, and materialism have become key mechanisms of re-embedding individuals, providing new forms of identity and belonging while also imposing new constraints on individual autonomy. However, overall, the current research remains insufficient. On the one hand, existing studies are mostly fragmented, lacking systematic and holistic perspectives. On the other hand, researchers have not fully reflected on the complexity and scope of the aforementioned dilemmas and their potentially profound implications for China’s version of individualization 2.0.

This special issue aims to contribute to filling these academic gaps by reflecting on the unique situation of individualization in China within the current social context. It particularly welcomes empirical research based on original data (whether qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods). We encourage interdisciplinary research from scholars with diverse academic backgrounds and perspectives.

Suggested Topics (including but not limited to)

• Nationalism and the re-embedding mechanisms of individualization.
• Gender and individualization in China.
• Demographic transition and societal ageing and their implications for Chinese individualization.
• Confucian ethics and the tensions in Chinese individualization.
• Urban-rural differences and the complexity of the individualization process.
• Individualization in social groups (e.g., digital nomads, migrant workers).
• Challenges to individual autonomy in digital governance.
• Individualization under the “common prosperity” policy.

Submission Timeline
We invite interested authors to submit an abstract (approximately 500 words), along with the paper’s title and the contributor’s biography (all in English), by February 15, 2025. Full papers will be due by November 1, 2025. Additionally, a virtual workshop is scheduled for July 2025, where all contributors to the special issue will be invited to present and discuss their papers, promoting mutual support and collaborative engagement.

If you are interested in contributing to this special issue of China Perspectives or have any questions, please contact Canglong Wang at c.wang@brighton.ac.uk. All submitted papers will undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review process. We look forward to receiving your submissions.

More information on the format of articles for China Perspectives could be found at the following link: https://www.cefc.com.hk/china-perspectives/submissions/style-guide/

Guest Editors’ Bios
Canglong Wang is a Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Brighton. He earned his PhD in Sociology from the University of Edinburgh and has previously taught at the University of Hull and Birkbeck, University of London. His research extensively explores the cultural, social, and political implications of the revival of Confucian education in contemporary China. He has a persistent research interest in Confucianism and citizenship in China. His work has been featured in many leading journals and edited volumes. He is the author of “The Rise of Confucian Citizens in China: Theoretical Reflections and Empirical Explorations” (Routledge, 2023) and “Cultivating the Confucian Individual: The Confucian Education Revival in China” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023). As a guest editor, Dr. Wang has completed three journal special issues, including “Reconsidering Chinese Citizenship” for Citizenship Studies (2023), “Beyond the State’s Reach? Education and Citizen Making in China” for Social Transformations in Chinese Societies (2023), and “Reinventing Confucian Education in Contemporary China” for China Perspectives (2022). He can be contacted via email at canglongwang6@gmail.com or c.wang@brighton.ac.uk.

Yunxiang Yan is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the author of The Flow of Gifts: Reciprocity and Social Networks in a Chinese Village (Stanford University Press, 1996), Private Life under Socialism: Love, Intimacy, and Family Change in a Chinese Village, 1949-1999 (Stanford University Press, 2003), and The Individualization of Chinese Society (Berg, 2009), and the editor of Chinese Families Upside Down: Intergenerational Dynamics and Neo-Familism in the Early 21st Century (Brill, 2021). His research interests include family and kinship, social change, the individual and individualization, moral transformation, and the impact of cultural globalization.

Jun Yang is an Associate Professor and Doctoral Supervisor of Sociology at East China University of Science and Technology. He is also a research fellow at the Chinese Urban and Rural Development Research Centre, East China University of Science and Technology, and a researcher at Social Work and Social Policy Institute, Shanghai University Think Tank. His research interests include social theory, urban-rural sociology, and cultural sociology. He has published over 60 papers in core periodicals such as Urban Development Research and China Rural Observation. He has also presided over and participated in more than 20 national and provincial-level projects. He can be contacted via email at yangjun714@ecust.edu.cn or yangjun714@126.com.

References:

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Botterill, Katherine. 2014. “Family and Mobility in Second Modernity: Polish Migrant Narratives of Individualization and Family Life.” Sociology 48 (2): 233–50.
Giddens, Anthony. 1991. Modernity and Self-Identity: Self and Society in the Late Modern Age. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Gøtzsche-Astrup, Johan. 2023. “Becoming an Activist: Individualisation and a Democratic Contentious Ethos in ‘How to’ Books.” Sociology 57 (3): 625–41.
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