Workshop on “Emerging Middle Classes and Their Impact on Political Change: A Comparison between Russia and China“

 

  Russia and China, which created a large volume of middle classes in the process of economic development and marketization, are catching attention from all over the world. On the other hand, comparative researches of emerging middle classes are still rare due to several reasons.
   In this small workshop, Russian and Chinese experts will talk about characteristics, especially political-orientations, of middle classes in their countries to illustrate what are the commonalities and differences between Russian and Chinese middle classes and their impact on political changes. Your attendance will be welcome.

 

Program

 

 

 

March 14 (Monday), 2011

10:00-10:20 Welcome Remarks and Explanation of the Workshop by Shigeto Sonoda

10:20-12:00  Session 1 Russian Middle Class

Chair: Shigeto Sonoda

Natalia Firsova (Ph.D. Candidate, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Russia),
“Russian Middle Class: Is it a Factor for Domestic Policies?”

 

12:00-13:00 Lunch

 

13:00-14:40  Session 2 Chinese Middle Class

Chair: Shigeto Sonoda

Chunling Li (Professor, Institute of Sociology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China)

“Seeking for Change, or Status Quo?: Measuring Socio-Political Attitudes of Chinese Middle Class”

15:00-17:00  Session 3 Comparative Approaches to Russian and Chinese Middle Class

Chair: Hiroaki Hayashi (Associate Professor, Faculty of Policy Studies, University of Shimane)

(1) Yan Zhu (Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Sociology, Fudan University, China)

”Citizen’s Evaluation toward Redistributive Justice and Reform in Russia and China: A Comparison”

(2) Shigeto Sonoda (Professor and Course Director, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies, the University of Tokyo, Japan)

”Political Orientations and Behaviors of Middle Class in Russia and China: A Rough Comparison and Its Implications”

17:20-18:00  Concluding Session

Chair: Shigeto Sonoda