Tragic Stability and Elusive Selfhood: On the Drive for Self-Development in Contemporary China

The requirement for “self-development” through the ceaseless acquisition of skills and credentials has long been central for young adults in China. However, due to the multiple and unpredictable demands of social institutions, many social actors also prime the cultivation of a self that does not suc...

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Autor principal:	Gil Hizi
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	SAGE Publishing 2021
Materias:	Political institutions and public administration - Asia (Asian studies only) JQ1-6651 Social sciences and state - Asia (Asian studies only) H53
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/382f5b1260e1466b8980b05c5b29c4cc
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:382f5b1260e1466b8980b05c5b29c4cc2021-12-01T22:33:42ZTragic Stability and Elusive Selfhood: On the Drive for Self-Development in Contemporary China1868-10261868-487410.1177/18681026211039863https://doaj.org/article/382f5b1260e1466b8980b05c5b29c4cc2021-08-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1177/18681026211039863https://doaj.org/toc/1868-1026https://doaj.org/toc/1868-4874The requirement for “self-development” through the ceaseless acquisition of skills and credentials has long been central for young adults in China. However, due to the multiple and unpredictable demands of social institutions, many social actors also prime the cultivation of a self that does not succumb to immediate occupational and material impositions. In this article, I describe how young adults in a second-tier city pursue a model of personhood that brings together socio-economic competence and singular individuality. These individuals aspire to expand their range of experiences and their spatial mobility, thereby reifying an image of a self that transcends narrow social roles and networks. Drawing on Jean-Paul Sartre's dualistic philosophy, I analyse young adults’ attempts to realise individualised selves by destabilising their ontological ground. I argue that this phenomenon is magnified in China through widespread notions of a “moral crisis” and its supposable suppression of social actors’ agency.Gil HiziSAGE PublishingarticlePolitical institutions and public administration - Asia (Asian studies only)JQ1-6651Social sciences and state - Asia (Asian studies only)H53ENJournal of Current Chinese Affairs, Vol 50 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Political institutions and public administration - Asia (Asian studies only) JQ1-6651 Social sciences and state - Asia (Asian studies only) H53
spellingShingle	Political institutions and public administration - Asia (Asian studies only) JQ1-6651 Social sciences and state - Asia (Asian studies only) H53 Gil Hizi Tragic Stability and Elusive Selfhood: On the Drive for Self-Development in Contemporary China
description	The requirement for “self-development” through the ceaseless acquisition of skills and credentials has long been central for young adults in China. However, due to the multiple and unpredictable demands of social institutions, many social actors also prime the cultivation of a self that does not succumb to immediate occupational and material impositions. In this article, I describe how young adults in a second-tier city pursue a model of personhood that brings together socio-economic competence and singular individuality. These individuals aspire to expand their range of experiences and their spatial mobility, thereby reifying an image of a self that transcends narrow social roles and networks. Drawing on Jean-Paul Sartre's dualistic philosophy, I analyse young adults’ attempts to realise individualised selves by destabilising their ontological ground. I argue that this phenomenon is magnified in China through widespread notions of a “moral crisis” and its supposable suppression of social actors’ agency.
format	article
author	Gil Hizi
author_facet	Gil Hizi
author_sort	Gil Hizi
title	Tragic Stability and Elusive Selfhood: On the Drive for Self-Development in Contemporary China
title_short	Tragic Stability and Elusive Selfhood: On the Drive for Self-Development in Contemporary China
title_full	Tragic Stability and Elusive Selfhood: On the Drive for Self-Development in Contemporary China
title_fullStr	Tragic Stability and Elusive Selfhood: On the Drive for Self-Development in Contemporary China
title_full_unstemmed	Tragic Stability and Elusive Selfhood: On the Drive for Self-Development in Contemporary China
title_sort	tragic stability and elusive selfhood: on the drive for self-development in contemporary china
publisher	SAGE Publishing
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/382f5b1260e1466b8980b05c5b29c4cc
work_keys_str_mv	AT gilhizi tragicstabilityandelusiveselfhoodonthedriveforselfdevelopmentincontemporarychina
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Tragic Stability and Elusive Selfhood: On the Drive for Self-Development in Contemporary China

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