Rural China on the Eve of Revolution: Sichuan Fieldnotes, 1949-1950

by G. William Skinner, Stevan Harrell (Editor), William Lavely (Editor)

In 1949, G. William Skinner, a Cornell University graduate student, set off for southwest China to conduct field research on rural social structure. He settled near the market town of Gaodianzi, Sichuan, and lived there for two and a half months, until the newly arrived Communists asked him to leave. During his time in Sichuan, Skinner kept detailed field notes and took scores of photos of rural life and unfolding events. Skinner went on to become a giant in his field—his obituary in American Anthropologist called him “the world’s most influential anthropologist of China.” A key portion of his legacy arose from his Sichuan fieldwork, contained in his classic monograph Marketing and Social Structure in Rural China. Although the People’s Liberation Army confiscated Skinner’s research materials, some had been sent out in advance and were discovered among the files donated to the University of Washington Libraries after his death. Skinner’s notes and photos bring to life this rare glimpse of rural China on the brink of momentous change.

356 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2016

Reviews

[Mark Koester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Field journal from rural Sichuan months before the communist liberation army arrived by an American anthropologist. Filled with wonderful observations and interesting societal moments, especially about how the market towns connect and overlap. I particularly enjoyed the final chapter describing a traditional temple festival.

[Mills College Library]

306.0951 S6284 2017