Ethnographic Study On Resource,Power And Social Relations

This paper is based on a case study of the coal mining industry in Hunchun,Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture,Jilin Province and explores the power dynamics and bargaining power of three layers of participants:state,society and individual as well as their conflicts and influences on the local society.The ethnography and theoretical analysis of the historical process of coal resource development argue that although the resource development in an ethnic area may lead to temporary economic benefits,bargaining power during the process in most cases leads to a "resource curse" that increases environmental pollution and the commercialization of labors and rights.For instance,after a series of accidents in Jilin Province in 2013,the Government implemented a mandatory long-term shutdown and a policy of cutting down the productivity,which further escalated contradictions and conflicts among the three parties:the state,the society and individuals as well as created potential dangers and had negative influences on the social stability and development of border areas.Utilizing the theories and research methods of ethnology and sociology with some perspectives from political science and management,this paper mainly reviews the process of resource development,discusses the predicament and problems of coal mining industry and provides a detailed description based on fieldwork of the development of ethnic areas.The basic framework of the paper consists of three parts:introduction,main body and conclusion.The first chapter is the introduction,elaborating the origin and significance of the topic,research dynamics,the research structure,research methods and innovative ideas of this study.The second chapter mainly describes the evolution and current situation of the coal mining industry in Hunchun.From the official mining in the reign of Guangxu of Qing dynasty,to the pessimistic plundering during the Japanese puppet regime period,and then the state-owned collective coal mining after the founding of PRC,it has now formed the industrial layout of the coexistence between state-owned mines and private ones with the former taking a dominant position.At the same time,owing to the geological exploration and the increase in the number of coal mines,Hunchun has become the city with the highest coal reserves and yields in Yanbian region,making an outstanding contribution to the regional economic development.However,due to the continuous accidents in Jilin Province in 2013,there has been a policy called "everybody takes medicine because one is sick" which lead to a long-term shut down of the production in the whole region.Accompanied by the implementation of the cutting down productivity policy under the adjustment of national industrial structure,the coal mining industry is facing closure and the miner are getting joyless.The third chapter mainly analyzes the power division related to coal resources.The property right system of coal resources has been improved with the continuous improvement of China's economic system reform.After undergoing reforms of three periods,it is finally made clear that the ownership of coal resources is owned by the state,thus a paid acquisition system of exploration and mining rights has been established.Such a market mechanism of coal resources has accelerated the privatization process.The supervision right of the coal industry is owned by the administrative organizations,which has swung between the "scattered" and "concentrated" in different periods due to the constant adjustment of the national department of mineral resource management.Ultimately it formed the final power network with cross regulation on coal mining industry from several administrative departments.Coal mining enterprises have the right to mine coal resources and the internal power relation structure between coal mine owners,managers and workers are constituted under the modern coal mine enterprise management mode.The fourth chapter mainly discusses the imbalance of power relation structure between the government,enterprises and miners in the development of coal resources.In the power relations between the government and enterprises,it shows a pattern of "strong government-weak enterprises" due to the subject and object factors of government supervision rights.Facing with such imbalance in the power relationship pattern,the coal enterprises have tried to construct social power by establishing a joint association,which has achieved some success in the bargaining with administrative power,but failed to reach the goal of striking a power balance between the government and enterprises.Coal mining enterprises and miners have built a power relationship pattern featured by unity,mutual assistance and trust under the "household" cultural atmosphere,but its alienation has led to the lack of trust under the discipline of the modern coal mine enterprise management system,forming a power relationship pattern of "strong enterprise-weak individual".It is the imbalance of power relations among the "administrative power,the social power and the individual power" as well as the weak individual power of miners that leads to the materialization of the miners.The fifth chapter mainly expounds the three-year policy-directed production suspension caused by the continuous accidents in Jilin Province,accompanied with the implementation of the cutting down productivity policy under the adjustment of the national industrial structure,which have led to the reforms of the government,enterprises and individuals as well as the contradiction between the three parties,and further negatively impacted the society.The internal changes in the government are mainly reflected in how the government at the grass-root level examines conflicts between the economic interests and the responsibility of taking risks;changes within the enterprise mainly reflected in the losing power of coal mining associations;miners as the individuals were facing identity changes and had to choose whether to stay or leave the industry.Under the changes and conflicts of different subjects,the coal mine enterprises started the illegal production standing against the government,and labor disputes of wage arrears between enterprises and miners emerged.The imbalanced relationship structure of "administrative power-social power-individual power" has not been improved.On the contrary,because of the policy-directed shutdown of the pillar industry,the decreasing employment rate and emigration have seriously affected the stability and development of the society.Based on the discussion and analysis of the development of coal resources in Hunchun,this paper has concluded that while the development of resources in ethnic minority areas fuels the national economy,there are also social influences under the "resource curse",which have gradually emerged as society changes.The execution of state power or irregular intervention will enlarge this social impact;the daily participant observation on different power subjects associated with coal resources provides empirical data and reveals that the imbalance of power relation structure has intensified the negative impact of "resources curse",which is the structural imbalance of power relation between "administrative power-social power-individual power" from the micro perspective,showing a relation pattern of"strong government-weak enterprises","strong enterprises-weak individuals".It leads to the "physical" materialization of miners.The 3-year policy-directed production suspension and productivity cut down implemented by the government has escalated the imbalance of the three-party power relation structure,which is one of the fundamental causes of social contradictions and conflicts caused by the production shutdown.