Fei Xiaotong
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Fei Xiaotong (Chinese: 费孝通) (November 2, 1910-April 24, 2005) was a pioneering Chinese researcher and professor of sociology and anthropology; he was also noted for his studies in the study of China's ethnic groups as well as a social activist. Considered by some as one of China's finest and most prominent sociologists and anthropologists, his works on these subjects were instrumental in laying a solid foundation for the development of sociological and anthropological studies in China, as well as in introducing social and cultural phenomena of China to the international community. His last post before his death in 2005 was as Professor of Sociology at Peking University.
Among Fei Xiaotong's contributions to anthropology is the concept that Chinese social relations work through social networks of personal relations with the self at the center and decreasing closeness as one moves out. Among the criticisms of Fei Xiaotong's work is that his work tended to ignore regional and historical variations in Chinese behavior; nonetheless, as a pioneer and educator, his intent was to high general trends, thus this simplification may have had significant justification for Fei's intent, even if they created a bias in studies of Chinese society and culture.
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Life
Fei was born November 2, 1910 in Wujiang, Jiangsu province.
Education
Fei received his sociological training at Yenching University and Tsinghua University, both in Beijing. He obtained his PhD from the University of London in the United Kingdom.
He taught at various universities in China and served in leading positions (Deputy President of the Institute of Central Nationalities, Deputy Director of the Institute of Nationalities of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Director of the Institute of Sociology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences).
He helped found the Chinese Sociological Association which promotes sociological studies in China and was Honorary President of the Association before his death.
Death
Fei died in Beijing on April 24, 2005, at the age of 95.
Works
- Peasant Life in China
- From the Soil: the Foundations of Chinese Society
Awards
- Malinowski Prize of the International Applied Anthropology Association
- Huxley Memorial Medal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland
- 1988: Encyclopædia Britannica Prize in New York
- 1993: USA and Asian Cultural Prize in Fukuoka, Japan
- Doctor of Letters degree, honoris causa by the University of Hong Kong
- Doctor of Social Science degree, honoris causa by University of East Asia, Macau
Politics
Fei also made significant contributions to the study and management of the development of China's rural economy.
Before his death, Fei held a number of political positions, although these are mostly honorary; he was considered by many to be "active politically".
- Vice-President of the 6th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
- Vice-Chairman of the 7th and 8th Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
- Vice-Chairman of the Drafting Committee for the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
- Honorary Chairman of the Central Committee of the China Democratic League, a minor party
which is part of the United Front led by the Communist Party of China
Sources
- A press release of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
- Noted sociologist Fei Xiaotong dies (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-04/25/content_2876226.htm,)
See also
External Links
New York Times obituary, May 9, 2005 (registration required) (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/09/obituaries/09fei.html?pagewanted=all)de:Fei Xiaotong fr:Fei Xiaotong zh:费孝通 pl:Fei Xiaotong