国家与社会生活:农民上访的一种理论解释

The State and Social Life: A Theoretical Explanation of Farmers’ Petition

在转型中国农村社会中,伴随国家权力的介入及传统权威的衰弱,村庄生活共同体走向式微,由日常生活矛盾纠纷引发的农民上访行为普遍发生。信访制度成为村庄边缘人借以抗争主流社会的武器,为他们的抗争行动创造了“政治机会结构”。应对边缘人的挑战成为村庄治理中的“剩余”问题。国家通过信访体制吸纳村庄生活政治。国家塑造农民上访行为的三种机制呈现为激发机制、吸纳机制和再生产机制。基于生活政治的视角研究农民上访行为不仅有助于深化和拓展学界对“国家如何塑造农民抗争”这一问题的理解,而且有利于进一步反观国家。

In the transitional rural society of China,with the intervention of the state power and the weakening of traditional authority,the community of village life tends to decline,and farmers’ petition behavior caused by contradictions and disputes in daily life is widespread.The petition system has become a weapon for people on the edge of villages to fight against the mainstream society,creating a “political opportunity structure” for their petition behaviors.Addressing the challenges of marginal people has become a “surplus” problem in village governance.The state absorbs village life politics through the petition system.There are three mechanisms for the state to shape farmers’ petition behaviors,namely,motivation mechanism,absorption mechanism and reproduction mechanism.An analysis of farmers’ petition behaviors from the perspective of life politics will not only help deepen and expand the academic understanding on how the state shapes farmers’ resistance,but also allow for further reflection upon the state.