Peasant Power in China: The Era of Rural Reform, 1979–1989

"This is a carefully wrought, intelligent, well-written, and original analysis of central issues in Chinese peasant politics. It is, moreover, cast in the larger framework of issues of considerable moment in social sciences."-Mark Selden, coauthor of Chinese Village, Socialist State "This brilliant, original, and formidably researched book considers the recent struggle between state and peasant in China that resulted in the privatization of farming. . . . Kelliher writes with clarity and vigor, and enlivens his study with telling detail drawn from the local press and from "guerrilla interviews' that he obtained by cycling off into the countryside to chat with peasants. His findings not only illuminate recent developments in Chinese politics and society but make an original contribution to the broader theoretical debate about the relationship between peasants and the state."-Gregor Benton, Journal of Developing Areas "Aiming at both a deeper understanding of China as a case and an evaluation of the theoretical relevance of such a case study, the book effectively challenges the Western-centered nature of most state theories and theories of social change. . . . Casts new light on the role of the peasantry in the reforms under state socialism. . . . The book clearly documents the importance of peasant power and shows how the peasants negotiated with the state over the very nature of the reform. It is an insightful book on an important topic."-Ming-Cheng Lo, Contemporary Sociology "Kelliher has given us an excellent account of the respective roles of state and peasant in the process of agricultural reform in China. . . . It is a volume that deserves to be widely read, and those who do so will not be disappointed."-Chris Bramall, Asian Affairs