What Happened to the Study of China in Comparative Politics

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1、04_JEAS11.1.qxd:Layout12/17/1110:21AMPage105JournalofEastAsianStudies11(2011),105–135ReviewEssay:WhatHappenedtotheStudyofChinainComparativePolitics?Marie-EveRenyIn1986,KennethLieberthalobservedthatthestudyofChinaintheUnitedStateshadhadlittleeffectontheevolutionofpoliticalscience.Overt

2、wentyyearslater,itsimpactonthecoredebatesincomparativepoliticsseemstohavebeennomoresignificant.WhyhavesomeofthemostinfluentialbooksinthestudyofcontemporaryChinesepoli-ticsnotbeensignificantinthedisciplineofcomparativepolitics?Basedonaquantitativeoverviewofforty-twocomparativepoliticss

3、yllabi,myargumentistwofold.First,ChinascholarshiphasisolatedthestudyofChinesepoliticsbyprimarilypublishinginareajournals,buildinganaly-sesarounddebatesexclusivetoChinesepolitics,andgeneratingknowledgewithlimitedcontemplationofitspotentialforgeneraliza-tionoutsideChina.Second,comparati

4、vepoliticsseemstohavebeencaughtina“democraticprism,”whichhasimpededscholars’abilitytoadaptsomeofthedebatestoempiricalchangesassociatedwithChina’sriseanddevelopment.KEYWORDS:Chinastudies,comparativepoliticsIN1986,KENNETHLIEBERTHALPUBLISHEDANARTICLEINPS:POLITICALScienceandPoliticsthatst

5、artedfromtheobservationthatthestudyofChinaintheUnitedStateshadhadlittleeffectontheevolutionofpolit-icalscience.Yearslater,theimpactofChinastudiesonthecoredebatesincomparativepoliticsseemstohavebeennomoresignificant.ThisprimafaciestrikesoneassurprisinginlightofPaulPiersonandThedaSkocpo

6、l’s(2002)claimthatoneofthegoalsofcomparativepoliticsistoaddressbig,substantivequestionsaboutpoliticsatdifferentpointsofworldhistory.Chinahasbeenundergoingdramaticinternalchangesinitssocietyandeconomyinthepastthirtyyears,andthishashadsignificantpoliticalimplicationsdomesticallyandinter

7、nationally.China’srapidriseasaneconomicpowerandincreasingpoliticalinfluencehaveimpactedallcountries’domesticandforeignpolicies,directlyorindirectly.Yet,10504_JEAS11.1.qxd:Layout12/17/1110:21AMPage106106ReviewEssaydespitethesignificanceofChina’sdevelopmentforworldpolitics,thescholarshi

8、pthat