Contemporary Chinese Politics
New Sources, Methods and Field Strategies
Résumé
Contemporary Chinese Politics: Sources, Methods, and Field Strategies considers how new and diverse sources and methods are changing the study of Chinese politics. Contributors spanning three generations in China studies place their distinct qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches in the framework of the discipline and point to challenges or opportunities (or both) of adapting new sources and methods to the study of contemporary China. How can we more effectively use new sources and methods of data collection? How can we better integrate the study of Chinese politics into the discipline of political science, to the betterment of both? How can we more appropriately manage the logistical and ethical problems of doing political research in the challenging Chinese environment?
Reviews
"The study of Chinese politics is changing. There's no better guide to how it is changing or who is leading the way than this book. Cutting-edge methods imported from the social sciences, sources that were unimaginable just a few years ago, and novel fieldwork strategies are all highlighted in a uniformly strong set of essays."
-Kevin J. O'Brien, University of California, Berkeley
"This book is a must-read for all serious students of Chinese politics. Offering an informed overview of the current state of the field, as well as practical tips on research design and methods, the volume highlights the remarkable diversity in approaches and sources that characterizes the study of contemporary Chinese politics. Taking advantage of the explosion of new data that has accompanied the opening of mainland China to social science investigation, the authors explore the promise (and problems) of a closer integration with the political science discipline."
-Elizabeth J. Perry, Harvard University; Director, Harvard-Yenching Institute
"With contributions from many of the leading scholars in Chinese politics, this volume represents a tour de force in its analysis of the methodological concerns and new data sources that any serious student of China will encounter in the process of conducting fieldwork, consulting archives, choosing research sites, designing and implementing a survey, using electronic media sources, coding data, etc. The volume should be required reading in upper undergraduate and graduate courses on Chinese politics and research methods."
-Kellee S. Tsai, Johns Hopkins University
