From the collective notes, (e) we propose to write a joint book and, in addition, (f) expect individually to write a number of monographs and articles relating to the village.
The renewed interviewing would be conducted by Anita Chan and Jonathan Unger. The third member of the proposed project, Richard Madsen, has been at work on a doctoral dissertation in sociology at Harvard University in which he dwells on one quite complex aspect of our collective village- study: the functions performed by 'political activists' and by mass organizations in this village, and the influence of ideology upon village life.
in
'Madsen would travel to Great Britain for a month September of 1977 to confer with the other members of the project. Together, we would shape and refine the hypotheses for which we would attempt to derive answers in forthcoming interviews. While Madsen conducted some of the relevant documentary research in the United States (on his own time), Chan and Unger would proceed to Hong Kong, where they would conduct the six months of intensive interviewing on this and other villages.
The writing of our volume on this village would be undertaken at The Institute of Development Studies in Sussex and would necessitate the presence of Madsen, who would commence his employment
upon arrival at the Institute. We expect that it would require about three or four months for us collectively to sort and analyze our interview notes and other materials and to structure the proposed volume. It might require the remainder of the time made available to us by a 12 years' research grant to collaborate on writing the book. During this period of time we would also be determining the themes of future articles and monograph and will perhaps have the opportunity to complete several of these shorter pieces.
Staffing Information.
The questions we plan to explore are diverse, but the three researchers involved in the project believe that we collectively possess sufficient knowledge of the relevant academic disciplines and sufficient experience with the study of China to handle such a multi-disciplined approach. All of us are trained sociologists, and by the time the research grant would commence all of us will have completed Doctoral dissertations in Sociology. Between us, we have also undertaken Masters programmes in social geography, modern Chinese history, Chinese politics, Chinese sociology, and East Asian studies, and have done prior research in socialist economics and on China's economy.
To our knowledge of the relevant disciplines we can
All of add an established familiarity with Chinese society. us are fluent speakers and readers of Chinese, and we have all had prior experience living and working in ethnically Chinese communities. Our research experience in the use of interviews has included, in addition to our investigations of Chinese village life, several hundreds of interviews on other aspects of modern-day Chinese society.
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Private notes are available after approval.