E. V. Kremnyov, P. P. Deriugin, L. A. Lebedintseva, O. V. Kuznetsova. Traditionalism in China’s State Governance: Regional Specificity

https://doi.org/10.15507/2413-1407.129.032.202404.673-690

УДК / UDC 165.612(510)

Abstract

Introduction. The relevance of the study is due to the increasing importance and influence of global and, at the same time, regional processes on the process of governance. The purpose of the article is to identify the regional specifics of traditionalism as a systemic phenomenon in the processes of state governance in China; in this case, we consider China as a region participating in global and transregional relations.

Materials and Methods. The study is based on sociologist R. Redfield’s concept of social organization tradition, which distinguished between “big” and “small” traditions, and the adaptation of this concept in Chinese sociology. In order to identify the relationship between traditionalism and Chinese specificity of public administration in their historical aspect and to determine the current region-specific trends of traditionalism’s influence on public administration, scientific studies of Chinese sociologists were analyzed.

Results. In particular, the systemic characteristics of traditionalism are examined along two interrelated dimensions: philosophical, which determines the value orientations of society, and practical, which aims to ensure stable social interaction. Special attention is paid to the “great state tradition”, which in modern Asia with China as an example manifests itself in the adaptation of traditional management concepts to modern conditions. The processes of penetration of traditional values into political discourse and ideology are studied, emphasizing that modern traditionalism is not a return to the past, but a tool for searching for arguments in the past to actualize modern managment concepts.

Discussion and conclusion. The regional specificity of state governance is largely determined by the “big state tradition”, which remains a significant factor of the governance system in China, influences the “little tradition” and seeks ways to adapt to it. The practical significance of the article lies in the possibility of using its results in planning interaction with administrative departments and public structures of the PRC.

Keywords: state governance in China, regional specificity of traditionalism, big state tradition, little tradition, modern model of public administration

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding. This work was supported by the grant No. 24-28-01448 from the Russian Science Foundation.

For citation: Kremnyov E.V., Deriugin P.P., Lebedintseva L.A., Kuznetsova O.V. Traditiona­lism in China’s State Governance: Regional Specificity. Russian Journal of Regional Studies. 2024;32(4):673–690. https://doi.org/10.15507/2413-1407.129.032.202404.673-690
 

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About the authors:

Evgeniy V. Kremnyov, Cand.Sci. (Sociol.), Associate Professor, Head of the Chair of Sinology, Head of the Research Center for Transdisciplinary Regionology of Asia Pacific, Irkutsk State University (1 Karl Marks St., Irkutsk 664003, Russian Federation); Associate Researcher of the Russian-Chinese Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, Sociological Institute of the RAS – Branch of the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (25/14, 7th Krasnoarmeyskaya St., St. Petersburg 190005, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5255-3772, Researcher ID: Q-4396-2018, Scopus ID: 57211607591, SPIN-code: 9597-5548, kremnyov2005@mail.ru

Pavel P. Deriugin, Dr.Sci. (Sociol.), Professor, Head of the Chair of Economic Sociology, Saint Petersburg State University (7-9 Universitetskaya Embankment, St. Petersburg 199034, Russian Fede­ration); Professor of the Chair of Sociology and Political Science, Saint Petersburg State Electrotechnical University (5 Prof. Popov St., St. Petersburg 197022, Russian Federation); Head of the Russian-Chinese Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, Sociological Institute of the RAS – Branch of the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (25/14, 7th Krasnoarmeyskaya St., St. Petersburg 190005, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5380-8498, Researcher ID: AFJ-7283-2022, Scopus ID: 57205375761, SPIN-code: 7816-6709, deriuginpav@yandex.ru

Lyubov A. Lebedintseva, Dr.Sci. (Sociol.), Professor, Faculty of Sociology, Saint-Petersburg State University (7-9 Universitetskaya Embankment, St. Petersburg 199034, Russian Federation); Associate Researcher of the Russian-Chinese Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, Sociological Institute of the RAS – Branch of the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (25/14, 7th Krasnoarmeyskaya St., St. Petersburg 190005, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9458-4689, Researcher ID: I-7256-2013, Scopus ID: 56820216100, SPIN-code: 1996-9779, llebedintseva879@gmail.com

Olga V. Kuznetsova, Cand.Sci. (Philol.), Associate Professor, Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Head of the Chair of Asia-Pacific Regional Studies, Head of the Transregionalization Sector of the Research Center for Transdisciplinary Regionology of Asia Pacific, Irkutsk State University (1 Karl Marks St., Irkutsk 664003, Russian Federation); Associate Researcher of the Russian-­Chinese Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, Sociological Institute of the RAS – Branch of the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (25/14, 7th Krasnoarmeyskaya St., St. Petersburg 190005, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9895-0471, SPIN-code: 9800-9784, kuznetsova1@mail.ru

Contribution of the authors:

Е. V. Kremnyov – main idea of the research; collection and processing of data; critical analysis; writing the paper; formulation of conclusions.

P. P. Deriugin – developing methodology; analyzing material; writing the paper; curating data; drawing conclusions.

L. A. Lebedintseva – critical analysis of the text; data collection and processing; conceptual research; finalization of the text.

O. V. Kuznetsova – analysis of material; formalized and critical analysis of data; presentation of data in the text.

Availability of data and materials. The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the authors on reasonable request.

The authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

Submitted 13.07.2024; revised 27.09.2024; accepted 12.10.2024.