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300 Million Migrant Workers and the NGO Response Southern Methodist University SMU Scholar Anthropology Theses and Dissertations Anthropology Fall 2018 Nongovernmental China: 300 Million Migrant Workers and the NGO Response Ian Dorfman Southern Methodist University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.smu.edu/hum_sci_anthropology_etds Part of the Asian Studies Commons, and the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Dorfman, Ian, "Nongovernmental China: 300 Million Migrant Workers and the NGO Response" (2018). Anthropology Theses and Dissertations. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25172/td/13309407 https://scholar.smu.edu/hum_sci_anthropology_etds/6 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Anthropology at SMU Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Anthropology Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of SMU Scholar. For more information, please visit http://digitalrepository.smu.edu. NONGOVERNMENTAL CHINA: 300 MILLION MIGRANT WORKERS AND THE NGO RESPONSE Approved by: ________________________________________ Caroline Brettell Professor of Anthropology __________________________________ Carolyn Smith-Morris Associate Professor of Anthropology ___________________________________ Nicolas Sternsdorff-Cisterna Assistant Professor of Anthropology ___________________________________ Alan Smart Professor of Anthropology NONGOVERNMENTAL CHINA: 300 MILLION MIGRANT WORKERS AND THE NGO RESPONSE A Dissertation Presented to the Graduate Faculty of Dedman College Southern Methodist University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Anthropology by I. Joshua Dorfman B.A., German, Middlebury College M.A., Anthropology, Southern Methodist University December 15, 2018 Copyright (2018) I. Joshua Dorfman All Rights Reserved ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Mom, I love you for getting me started and getting me to finish. Dad, I love you for giving me a sense of humor. B, I love you for getting where I come from. L, I love you for inspiring me to think big, and for the cuddles. Chilibean, I love you for always wanting to play with me. And, S’mores, I love you for singing to me. Dr. Lockwood, I miss you very much. I’m certain your motherly criticisms will echo through the rest of my life. I hope you’re resting peacefully with a limitless supply of chocolate and seaside sunsets. Dr. Brettell, I can’t thank you enough for adopting this orphaned grad student. Your poise and professionalism propelled me past more impediments than I thought possible. (And your love of alliteration is pretty great too.) Dr. Smith-Morris, thank you for always taking time to encourage me, and for exposing me to Ebola. Nico, it’s been a pleasure slurping down noodles and anthropological theory with you. Dr. Smart, thank you for teaching me the power of guanxi. You’ve consistently connected me to the latest research and researchers in our field. Shelley, thank you for keeping me organized, motivated, and well-fed. Dawei, thanks for 20+ years of brotherhood, and for your hard-fought knowledge of China. Ali, thanks for the bed. Marco, thanks for respecting the street cleaners. Ashvina, thanks for keeping it real in the field. And, 夏老师, thanks for teaching me how to ask for directions. To everyone I interviewed for this dissertation, thank you for sharing what you know and teaching me how much more I have to learn. 祝你们工作顺利，谢谢教我学然后知不足。Finally, I’d like to thank anyone who takes the time to read the results of my research. With the help of all the incredible people mentioned above, I’ve produced a dissertation of which I am truly proud. iv Dorfman, I. Joshua B.A., Middlebury College, 2001 M.A., Southern Methodist University, 2013 Nongovernmental China: 300 Million Migrant Workers and the NGO Response Advisor: Caroline Brettell Doctor of Philosophy conferred December 15, 2018 Dissertation completed December 7, 2018 At the center of China’s rapid economic growth are the nearly 300 million migrants who have come from rural areas to work in urban factories. Despite their vital role in China’s rise, government policies have created many social, economic, and legal problems for this population. In response, a small but growing number of Chinese have started NGO programs to improve migrants’ access to legal aid, education, and sense of community. In a country with such a state- dominated society, this type of non-governmental activity takes on particular significance. Based on 70-weeks of ethnographic fieldwork, and a review of relevant literature, this dissertation analyzes the decision-making of the founders/directors of migrant-focused nongovernmental organizations in China in order to: (1) understand the political, economic, and sociocultural factors that influence their programs; (2) explore how these factors fit within the broader context of China’s economic development; (3) broaden literature on the role of the state in nongovernmental activity, and (4) provide insights into changing state-society relations in the transition to capitalism. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................. viii INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ....................................................................... 7 The Anthropology of NGOs ................................................................................................... 7 Social Entrepreneurship ........................................................................................................ 11 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH IN CONTEXT ............................................................................. 15 The Origins of “Modern” China ........................................................................................... 15 Modernity and Migration ...................................................................................................... 24 Nongovernmental China ....................................................................................................... 39 CHAPTER 3: FIELDWORK .................................................................................................... 54 Methods................................................................................................................................. 54 Field Sites.............................................................................................................................. 62 Beijing ............................................................................................................................... 68 Shenzhen ........................................................................................................................... 73 Reflexivity and Research Realities ....................................................................................... 76 CHAPTER 4: POPULATION PROFILE ................................................................................. 91 Sampling ............................................................................................................................... 91 Founders/Directors ................................................................................................................ 95 Defining Their Own Work .................................................................................................... 98 ‘Years in Existence’ as a Key Variable: The Case of Law One ......................................... 102 Determinants and Types of Opposition .............................................................................. 109 CHAPTER 5: PRIORITIES IN PRACTICE .......................................................................... 117 vi Revenue and Fundraising .................................................................................................... 121 Government Relations ........................................................................................................ 123 Marketing and Publicity ...................................................................................................... 127 CHAPTER 6: GOVERNING THE NON-GOVERNMENTAL ............................................ 135 Accepting Government Funds ............................................................................................ 135 Using Government Funds ................................................................................................... 139 CHAPTER 7: DATASET CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................... 153 Failing Forward ................................................................................................................... 153 More than Morality ............................................................................................................. 156 The Promise of Progress ..................................................................................................... 158 Future Directions ................................................................................................................ 162 CHAPTER 8: BROADER IMPACTS .................................................................................... 166 Associational Life ............................................................................................................... 166 The Ends of Individualism .................................................................................................
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