"China" as an Analytical Concept: A New Beginning for Chinese Political Science

The emergence in recent years of a large number of institutional concepts in the world of Chinese political science indicates that Chinese political science is experiencing an "internal shift" that is different from the complete Westernization of the past. Chinese political scientists are seeking theoretical explanations for China's political development based on China's internal context and are looking to provide intellectual arguments for China's modern state building. In this paper, it is proposed that the core of this internal shift of Chinese political science is the consciousness of "China" as an analytical concept, and that China is not only an object of description, but also an analytical perspective for explaining "what is China". Such a view is different from that held by the European and American left and pure traditional researchers or reactionists. On the one hand, this paradigm provides more universal political knowledge in the sense of comparative political science; on the other hand, it can advance Chinese political research by drawing a clearer and more accurate knowledge map of Chinese politics. The emergence of institutional concepts in Chinese political science implies that Chinese political science as a discipline is increasingly moving from the "form" of discipline establishment to the "content" of "what is China". This signifies a real new beginning.

“China as a Method” for Chinese Political Science Research

Since the reinstatement of political science as an academic discipline in 1980, the Chinese political science scholarship has as much studied China-related issues as adopted from the West a large number of scholarly findings, research methodology, and theories including the modernization theory in the 1980s, the democratic transition theory from the 1990s onwards, and the governance theory in the twenty-first century. Through the academic dialogue between China and the West, the political science research community in China has, by the same token, formulated its own theories on democracy and governance that are derived from China’s experiences. Furthermore, along with the unprecedented transformations throughout the whole society, Chinese political science has equally undergone major changes, of which a case in point can be the calling in this article for a political science research using "China as a method" (For this notion of "China as a Method", although it comes from Yuzo Mizoguchi, a Japanese scholar on China studies, it is also a product of the mutual learning across civilizations and also benefits from the inspiration of "taking the reform as the methodology". The so-called "China as the methodology" not only focuses on "China as the center", basing one’s research on China, answering questions about China, and putting forward China-based propositions; it also means that the ontology, epistemology, and methodological knowledge generated by “China as the center” or “China as a method” can become a theoretical orientation and methodological framework for Chinese political research in the world.). The best way to understand China is to study its political history, as Chinese history is mainly a political one, demonstrating a high degree of historical continuity. For this very reason, we have proposed a historical political science as a method for studying China—an approach that is different from historical sociology. The historical political science is, indeed, not Chinese-centered or -focused, where a comparative historical analysis will be ushered in as well.

Development of a National School of Political Science in China

Under the conditions of China’s steadily growing role in world politics, the task of moving from assimilation and criticism of Western theoretical discourse to creation and development of national political science schools is becoming more and more urgent. The article gives a brief review of the Chinese political science history, outlines the main achievements and tasks of the current stage in the process of formation of political science with Chinese characteristics. The article disputes the thesis of the universal nature of Western political science, critically evaluates some Western political theories: democracy, constitutional government, civil society; an attempt is made to show their shortcomings and limitations of their application. The main focus of the article is on clarifying the Chinese theory of democracy, which enriches and develops Marxist democratic theory, based on a generalization of the history of China’s democratic practice and an analysis of modern democratic politics led by the CCP. Another important area of interest of the Chinese political science school – the empirical studies of the political development of China – is also covered. The features of the Chinese parliamentary system, the system of political parties where the Communist Party plays the leading role, are described. An attempt is made to depict the relationship between the party leadership and the legislative branch in China. It justifies the need for the formation of government bodies from top to bottom on the basis of the Chinese consultative democracy principles, which to a certain extent oppose the “elective democracy” concept. Particular attention is paid to rural self-government bodies and difficulties in their formation, which have recently caused a hightened interest among Chinese researchers. The final part of the article outlines the most important tasks of Chinese political science for the near future.