The Rise Of The Trend Of Reading Confucian Classics In The Folk Society And Its Mobilization Mechanisms

Since the 1990s,the activities of Reading Confucian Classics that had withdrew from the stage of Chinese history for 80 years rised again. They develop faster in the 21st century and become a remarkable cultural trend and cultural movement, which was called as"the Fourth Resurgence of Reading Confucian Classics". Many scholars began to research the reasons for the rise of the trend of Reading Confucian Classics from different perspectives, including education, culture, modernity reflection and social movement. This study tries to research the reason for the rise of the trend of Reading Classics from the sociological perspective.This study takes the activity of Reading Confucian Classics inspired by two folk organizations of reading classics--Dingjia Organization and Huashan Organization—in D district of H city as the research case. Dingjia Organization found the first institution of reading classics in 2004. It have owned seven institutions until now, and mobilized more than 1000 people to participate the activities of reading Confucian classics. Huashan Organization joined the activities in 2007, and expanded the content and form of reading Confucian classics. It has owned two institutions until now, and mobilized hundreds of people to participate the activities.This study researches the above case by taking the Resource Mobilization Theory as research perspective, and take three dimensions--resource mobilization, member mobilization and frame mobilization—as the analytical framework. The Resource Mobilization Theory takes the resource factor as the important variable which affects the social movement. The researchers believe the increase of total resources supplied by the society would promote the emergence of social movements. The resource factors mainly include the material resource, member resource and frame resource ,especially the frame resource, therefore, the Resources Mobilization Theory discusses the social movement from these three dimensions.The main views of point and content of this study as follows:Firstly, the material resources in the folk organizations of reading classics has been increased constantly. The rapid growth of national economy and the resident income level in D district promoted indirectly or directly external and internal total amount of material resources in the folk organizations of reading classics; The growth of the total amount of resources -included place resources, financial resources and time resources -mobilized by Dingjia Organization and Huashan Organization prepared the essential material base for the initiation and development of the trend of reading Confucian classics.Secondly, the member resources of the folk organizations of reading classics were strengthened. The massive participants and supporters mobilized by the Dingjia Organization and Huashan Organization, the strong organizing faculty of the organizer, the high homogeneity of the main members, the Concentric-circles characteristics of the mobilization network , and the formidable support of the external forces,all of these provided the member condition for rise and development of trend of reading Confucian classics.Thirdly, the discourses resources of the folk organizations of reading classics were richful more and more. The"traditional cultural hot"provided the advantageous appeal discourses for the folk organizations of reading classics. Discourse itself, the abstraction of traditional culture and its political sensitivity, is not conducive for mobilizing all types of people and obtaining more external resources, and then the organizers tried to integrate the appeal into the simple and practical slogan (frame); In addition, the organizers utilize the strategic discourses to strengthen the emotions of the members so that the effects of the frame mobilization were promoted. Therefore the discourses resources of the folk organizations of reading classics formed the thought foundation of the rise and development of the trend of reading Confucian classics.Fourthly, the activities of reading classics have resulted a certain influence. After participating in the activities of reading classics, the children and members of the organizations have undergone a series of changes, while the members of the the organization have also improved their cultural consciousness.Fifthly, this study indicated that the increase of the total resources in the folk organizations of reading classics supplied by the contemporary society promoted directly the rise and development of trend of reading Confucian classics in the folk society. Certainly, there are also many other factors that pull the rise of the trend of reading Confucian classics in the folk society, such as social transformation, China's rise, the connotations of traditional culture, the political opportunity structure, the rejuvenation of Confucian tradition, the malpractice of educational system's ,and so on. All of these factors have the close connection with the growth of total resources, and they promote jointly the rise and development of the contemporary trend of reading Confucian classics in the folk society.