Heteronomous rationality and rural protests: Peasants’ perceived egalitarianism in post-taxation China

Abstract

This study focuses on Chinese peasants’ behavioural logic after the abolition of agricultural taxes in 2006. The everyday words and deeds of the residents of an ordinary village in Gansu Province were observed and interpreted. Their behavioural logic can be conceptualized as ‘heteronomous rationality’, according to which one’s behavioural choice is based on whether one is treated equally and fairly in comparison with others. When deviations from this standard are observed, rural peasants are motivated to protest. This study further examines when and how this Chinese-style peasant egalitarianism was shaped.