The relevance and dissonances of ‘class’ in China: An imaginative dialogue with Bourdieu and Bourdieusian studies

Social class is often regarded as a ‘western’ concept and deemed as being irrelevant or inapplicable to the context of China. It is contrasted unfavourably with the urban/rural perspective, which is more often used in policies and academic studies in China to define social advantages and disadvantages. Drawing on a study of the life stories of a small group of working-class students at elite universities in China, and working with Bourdieu's theoretical tools, this chapter discusses and demonstrates the relevance and importance of introducing a class perspective to understand educational and social inequalities in China. Given the particular and distinctive class structure and class history in China, some dissonances in relation to the concept of class and the relevance of class analysis tools also arise from the research findings. By discussing the relevance and dissonances of class in the context of China and by establishing an imaginary dialogue with Bourdieu and Bourdieusian studies, this chapter seeks to present the degree and the demand of a researcher's reflexivity in introducing and extending theories.