Small world, big world: the cultural possibility of a Chinese transnational grassroots society

Abstract

The radical modernist ideology (both Socialism and GDP-ism) that has overwhelmed China for the past sixty years has produced profound and distinctive problems. This article explores cultural resources at the grassroots level that are able to balance the influence of radical modernist ideology. Chinese new migrants (primarily ex-peasants from rural areas of South China who migrated to Western countries, particularly to the US in the past three decades) have revived local cultural and societal mechanisms in the construction of transnational self-rule communities. By applying an anthropological approach, this research shows that the new migrants’ practices express their understanding of modernity and what “a better life” is. Their rich experiences may inspire us to look into the local tradition of South China, which represents a possible resource that could evolve in the direction of helping to form a modern civil society in China.