Chinese society has seen phenomenal change in the last 30 years. Two of the most profound changes have been the rise of the individual in both public and private spheres and the consequent individualisation of Chinese society itself. Yet, despite China's recent dramatic entrance into global politics and economics, neither of these significant shifts has been fully analysed. China presents an alternative model of social transformation in the age of globalisation; therefore, its path to development may have particular implications for the developing world.

The Individualization of Chinese Society reveals how individual agency has been on the rise since the 1970s and how this has affected everyday life and Chinese society more broadly. The book presents a wide range of detailed case studies focusing on the impact of economic policy, patterns of kinship, changes in marriage relations and the socio-economic position of women, the development of youth culture, the politics of consumerism, and shifting power relations in everyday life.

Exploring the rise of the individual in both rural and urban settings, The Individualization of Chinese Society provides a detailed overview of this major social phenomenon and its wider implications.

閻雲翔，美國加州大學洛杉磯分校中國研究中心主任、文化人類學教授。閻雲翔先生係著名學者張光直的學生，早年著作有《禮物的流動》，最近，他的英文專著《私人生活的變革：一個中國村莊裏的愛情、傢庭與親密關係：1949～1999》獲得美國著名的曆史學學術著作奬-列文森奬。這是為紀念美國著名漢學傢列文森而設立的，每年隻頒發給兩本亞洲研究專著的作者。閻雲翔先生是第一位獲此殊榮的華裔學者。