The Politics of Compassion: The Sichuan Earthquake and Civic Engagement in China
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.53 (819 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1503603369 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 256 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2017-10-01 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Analyzing the practices of civic engagement following the Sichuan earthquake in 2008, Xu tells a rich and moving story of both apathy and moral sentiments, powerlessness and agency. The result is riveting, provocative, and ultimately heart breaking." (Deborah Davis Yale University) . The Politics of Compassion should be required reading for all students of contemporary Chinese society and politics, as well as on state-society relations in general." (David A. The result is a refreshing, cultural-sociological perspective on the politics of compassion and civil society in China." (Guobin Yang University of Pennsylvania)"A riveting account of the
. Bin Xu is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Emory University
The Politics of Compassion examines how civically engaged citizens acted on the ground, how they understood the meaning of their actions, and how the political climate shaped their actions and understandings. The 2008 Sichuan earthquake killed 87,000 people and left 5 million homeless. While volunteers expressed their sympathy toward the affected people's suffering, many avoided explicitly talking about the causes of the suffering—particularly in the case of the collapse of thousands of schools. Using extensive data from interviews, observations, and textua