Morality and Power in a Chinese Village

Morality and Power in a Chinese Village: The Peasant as Moral Philosopher delves into the intricate interplay of moral philosophy, communal values, and political transformations in Chen Village, a small farming community in Guangdong Province, China. This study spans two tumultuous decades, from the 1960s to the 1980s, as villagers grappled with shifting sociopolitical landscapes brought about by the Chinese Communist regime. The book examines how ordinary peasants, often dismissed as illiterate or simplistic, engage in profound moral deliberation through actions, aphorisms, and arguments rooted in their cultural and social realities. The moral questions they address—balancing kinship responsibilities with new class loyalties, reconciling personal beliefs with government ideologies, and navigating the tensions between traditional and modern values—highlight their role as practical philosophers.

Through a rich narrative, the book explores the dynamic moral discourse within the village, shaped by crises like land collectivization, the Cultural Revolution, and ongoing conflicts between personal and political ethics. It examines how local leaders, caught between the expectations of Communist superiors and their community, became focal points of moral evaluation. This study does not merely document these processes but also learns from them, reflecting on the universal challenges of political leadership and ethical integrity. By weaving together anthropological insight, historical context, and philosophical inquiry, the book provides a nuanced understanding of how moral reasoning operates in a rapidly changing world, offering valuable lessons for navigating the moral complexities of modern society.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1984.