"Selective Solidification" of Self-Boundary: Citizens movement and the reconstruction of state-individual relationship during China's social transformation

1990年代以来城市化进程中频发的社会冲突,从积极层面理解,是国家在孕育市场之后进一步释放社会的过程,也是由行动者发起的重塑国家一个人关系的过程。出于中国特定的制度环境,公民运动的行动者面临着一个两难困境:必须同时生产出维权的“合法性”和“抗争空间”,其背后体现了转型期国家一个人关系的悖论——个人相对于具体国家的抽离是以其对抽象国家的内化为前提的。自我边界的“选择性固化”便是行动者针对这两者之间的张力而产生的适应机制。本文以B市一起被拆迁居民集团行政诉讼为例,揭示了自我边界的“选择性固化”的三重机制,即拆分国家治理层级、辨析国家在土地权利上的双重身份和剥离国家在行政实践中的政治和经济职能。其本质则是经由自我边界从弹性、渗透向固化、紧实的转变,个人重构与国家之间的独立平等关系,折射出大一统的传统国家向国家—市场—社会—个人各部分分化的现代国家迈进的过程。

In China, the frequent social conflicts happened during rapid urbanization since the 1990s could be understood as a process of releasing the society from the state after the formation of the market, as well as the reconstruction of state-individual relationship initiated by agents. One dilemma always facing the agents of citizens movement in China is that the "legitimacy" and "protest space" must be produced at the same time, which illustrates the paradox of state-individual relationship in China's transformation; the externalization of individuals out of the concrete state is on the premise of the internalization of individuals into the abstract state. Based on a case study of a collective lawsuit of citizens being relocated in City B, this paper illustrates the "selective solidification" mechanism of self-boundary, including distinguishing the administrative levels of the state, dividing the double identities of the state around the land issue, and differentiating the economic function from the administrative function of the state. As an adaptation for the above-mentioned dilemma, the essence of this mechanism is the independent and equal state-individual relationship rebuilt by the agents based on the transformation of self-boundary from permeated to solidified, which drives China move from a traditional almighty state toward a modem state with the state, market, society and individuals playing their respective roles.

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