Lexington Books
Pages: 204
•
Trim: 6⅜ x 9½
978-0-7391-8664-0 • Hardback • July 2014 • $109.00 • (£84.00)
978-0-7391-9851-3 • Paperback • December 2017 • $46.99 • (£36.00)
978-0-7391-8665-7 • eBook • July 2014 • $44.50 • (£34.00)
Jianhua Yao received his doctoral degree in sociology from Queen’s University, Canada, and his research interests include political economy, media and communication, and labor issues.
Table of Contents
Preface and Acknowledgments
List of Tables
Abbreviation
Introduction
Knowledge Workers in China’s Publishing Industry
Class Consciousness of Knowledge Workers
Chinese Media Workers and Editors
Responses and Unions
Research Questions
Methods
Archival Studies
Surveys
Semi-structured Interviews
What Makes the Two Publishing Houses Special
Basic Interview Questions
Supplementary Interviews
Organization of the Book
Chapter 1 Political Economy, Media Reform, and Knowledge Workers
Political Economy
What Is Political Economy
Central Qualities of Political Economy
Media Reform
The Party Principle and the Propaganda Model
Media Commodification
Media Democratization
Knowledge Workers
Labor and Class Analysis
Labor and Globalization
Labor and Unions
Conclusion
Chapter 2 The Commodification Process: Publishing Reform in China
The Commodification Process
China’s Media Reform
Background of the Chinese Media Reform
China’s Publishing Industry Reform
Administrative Management of China’s Publishing Industry
Publishing Industry Laws
Changes in China’s Publishing Industry
The Advertising Industry in China
Precarious Chinese Editors
Basic Information of the Surveys
Contingent Employment
The Decline of Social Welfare Benefits
Intense Work Pressure
Conclusion
Chapter 3 The Structuration Process: The Five Critical Problems
The Five Critical Problems
Technological Changes in China
Following the Party Principle in the Media Marketization Process
The Rise of Market Competition
Strict Party Control
The Growing Tension within the Propaganda-Commercial Model
The Marketization Process in the Social Welfare System
Changes in the Pension System
Changes in the Health Care System
Smashing of the Work-unit System
The Inner Division of the Working Class
Divisions between Editors and Leader0
Inner Divisions of Editors
Conclusion: Social Changes, Class Relations, and Power Dynamics
Chapter 4 The Spatialization Process: Globalization, Neoliberalism, and the Global
Division of Labor
Globalization and the Chinese Publishing Industry
Transnational Media Corporations in China
Chinese Publishing Exports in the Global Media Sphere
Chinese Publishing Conglomerates
Neoliberalism and Chinese Editors
The Twin Modalities of the Neoliberal Governmentality
China’s Accession to the World Trade Organization
The Global Division of Labor and Chinese Editors
The Emergence of the Global Division of Labor
The Impact of the Global Division of Labor on Chinese Editors
Conclusion
Chapter 5 Labor Convergence: Worker Organizations and Trade Unions
Labor Convergence
Worker Organizations
The Publishers Association of China
The Publishers Association of Shanghai
Trade Unions
Trade Unions as “Transmission Belts”
The All-China Federation of Trade Unions
The Labor Law
Rethinking of Worker Organizations and Trade Unions
Limitations of Worker Organizations and Trade Unions
Labor Unrest
Prospects: How to Better Represent Workers’ Rights and Interests
Technological Developments
Changes inside the All-China Federation of Trade Unions
The Emergence of Labor Non-governmental Organizations
Conclusion
Conclusion
Summary
Contributions
Theoretical Significance
Methodological Significance
Substantive Significance
Suggestions for Future Research
References
Appendix A Original Survey Questions
Appendix B Interview Outline
Appendix C Interview Questions for Editors and Union Officials
Appendix D Interview Participants
Despite the growing volume of western commentary on the turn to the market in China’s media industries we still know surprisingly little about the impact of change on media work. Jianhua Yao’s detailed study of the publishing industry in Shanghai, one of the pivotal nodes in China’s knowledge economy, is a notable and welcome exception. Combining available data with questionnaire surveys and personal interviews, he unpicks the consequences of commercialization and globalization for the organization of work places, careers, and everyday lives, and explores the ways workers are responding and resisting. His analysis of the new knowledge precariat is a must-read for anyone interested in the transformation and future of creative labour in China.
— Graham Murdock, Professor of Culture and Economy at Loughborough University
China’s emergence as a global power has transformed its media sector. Drawing on extensive research, including in-depth interviews, this book provides an indispensable guide to the impact of China’s emerging information society on its growing workforce in the creative industries.
— Vincent Mosco, Professor Emeritus, Queen's University, Canada