Making Harmonious Community Work: A Contemporary Study of Conflict Resolution in Communities in Shanghai

In the contemporary transforming era of China, how conflict resolution affects the way a state is governed?;A society without any conflicts or disputes is not equal to a harmonious society, but should establish a rational and effective diversified system of conflict resolution. This research tries to study group interest conflicts, their causes, mediation processes and the ways of their resolution in urban communities (Shanghai as an example) in China. Two main research objects are: First, to analyze the characteristics and differences of conflict resolution styles in various modes of state-society relationship in different societies; and to analyze the characteristics and differences of group conflicts that are related with governmental interests in the present transforming China. Second, to investigate the way civil mediation organizations use to reconcile and resolve group interest conflicts, especially those between residents and the government; and to study the interaction among these three parties, the different strategies of each party and the limitations of their action. Based on relevant theories and Blake and Mouton's (1964) Managerial Grid of self-report five-style conflict resolution, this study tries to explain the changing relationship between the state and social organizations through conflict mediation and resolution by "Lin Yue Mediation Workroom". It argues that the state-society relationship in contemporary China is neither state-centered nor society-centered, but a state-led social pluralism. Drawing on research, observation, detailed case of group conflict, a lot of open-ended in-depth interviews, and official documentaries in the Shanghai community, it reveals that group conflict and its resolution are influenced by the government in the contemporary Chinese city. State power infiltrated the process of conflict mediation and resolution. In the transforming China, as the state now is facing heavy social conflicts and has limited ability to resolve all of them, it gives power to social organizations and let them working independently on managing conflicts, but still with quite strong control and restrictions on those organizations, no matter in financial or policy aspect. Meanwhile, social organizations are also seeking ways to maximize their own interest and to create more developing chances during the interaction with the state. The new mode of civil mediation workroom (run as GONGO), acting as a bridge and conflict buffer zone between the government and society, though still quite dependent on the government, has led the state to make adjustment of its relationship with the society by conflict resolution.;In nowadays' rapidly developing China, the transformative interaction between the state and plural social organizations could improve the way and outcome of conflict resolution, making harmonious community possible!...