Organizing Through Division and Exclusion China}}}s Hukou System [Hardcover]

This book is the first comprehensive examination of China'shukou(household registration) system. Thehukousystem registers and governs the 1.3 billion Chinese, while creating deep and rigid divisions and exclusions; in many domains the system determines how the Chinese live and shapes China's sociopolitical structure and socioeconomic development. This book shows that the system has made both positive and negative contributions to contemporary Chinese society: it has helped foster rapid economic growth and political stability, but also has reinforced social stratification, the rural-urban divide, regional inequalities, and discrimination and injustice.Using rich new materials, this book traces the history and development of thehukousystem. It describes the functions, impact, and operational mechanisms of the system. It also analyzes thehukouin comparison with the systems of exclusion and discrimination in other nations, notably Brazil and India. This book presents important insights for understanding China's past, present, and future.This is an original and comprehensive examination of China'shukou(household registration) system, a system that fundamentally determines the Chinese way of life and shapes China's sociopolitical structure and socioeconomic development. Organizing Through Division and Exclusionis a long-overdue work that will provide and excellent source of information on the ins and outs of Chinas registration system. Wangs book is a major contribution to our understanding of a system that has largely escaped attention, particularly in its security aspect as a means of control over targeted people, because its operations are considered state secrets. . . . This work provides us with the most comprehensive account so far, and is an indispensable tool for specialists in contemporary China, while being completely accessible to the general public. Readers will have no doubt, after reading this book, that ChinlÃ<