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"Law does not come down from heaven": youth legal socialisation approaches in Chinese textbooks of the Xi Jinping Era
[journal article]
Abstract Schools constitute key sites for legal socialisation, the process whereby youth develop their relationship with the law. Yet, what does legal socialisation entail in the context of an authoritarian party-state such as China? The article examines this question by analysing Chinese citizenship educati... view more
Schools constitute key sites for legal socialisation, the process whereby youth develop their relationship with the law. Yet, what does legal socialisation entail in the context of an authoritarian party-state such as China? The article examines this question by analysing Chinese citizenship education textbooks of the Xi era. The study finds that China's current textbooks contain elements associated with both a coercive and a consensual approach to legal education. Nonetheless, it is the consensual orientation that receives greater stress, as the books highlight the positive benefits of legal compliance and endorse the idea that youth should advance beyond the external supervisory stage to the self-discipline level of legal consciousness. Reflecting the attempt of the Chinese Communist Party leadership to draw on legality as a key source of legitimacy, this approach is nonetheless undermined by the propagandist tone of the textbooks and their ambiguous messages regarding citizens' ability to challenge China's existing laws.... view less
Keywords
China; adolescent; young adult; law; socialization; political education; school; textbook; legal consciousness; opinion formation; authoritarian system
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Free Keywords
Bürger; Bürgerpflicht; Staatsbürgerpflichten; Verhältnis Bürger - Staat
Document language
English
Publication Year
2022
Page/Pages
p. 265-291
Journal
Journal of Current Chinese Affairs, 51 (2022) 2
ISSN
1868-4874
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed