Introduction: Critical Agrarian Studies in Theory and Practice

In this introductory article we argue for renewed attention to life and labor on and of the land—or what we call the field of Critical Agrarian Studies. Empirically rich and theoretically rigorous studies of humanity's relationship to “soil” remain essential not just for historical analysis but for understanding urgent contemporary crises, including widespread food insecurity, climate change, the proliferation of environmental refugees, growing corporate power and threats to biodiversity. The article introduces an innovative and varied collection of works in Critical Agrarian Studies and also examines the intellectual and political history of this broader field.     

中国农民工问题研究述论

进入21世纪以来,"农民工"问题渐成为学术关注的焦点之一。从现状与对策角度进行的研究较多,从历史角度进行的研究有待加强。目前学界围绕农民工的定义、"农民工"现象的起源、农民工问题的历史发展及其处理对策变迁、解决农民工问题的深层次困难、解决农民工问题的前景与基本思路,展开了有关讨论。由于"农民工"在我国城镇化、工业化与现代化进程中将长期存在,因此,"农民工"问题将持续成为学术关注的热点问题。     

农民工务工地非稳定性研究——以河南省33个村为例

农民工务工地非稳定性是农民工空间流动的重要表现形式之一。基于河南省33个村1091份调查问卷数据,采用务工地变动频率、务工地企业区域粘性指数和二元Logistic等指标和方法,对务工地非稳定性特征及影响因素进行研究。结果表明:农民工务工地非稳定性较大,行业之间存在较大差异,务工企业流动性较高,务工地企业区域粘性指数较小,区域流动成为农民工流动的基本特征。务工地非稳定性主要受到个人、家庭、村庄、务工地等多种经济和非经济因素、主观和客观因素的影响。     

青年农民工就业质量问题的实证研究——以长沙市为例

通过对长沙市301名青年农民工的实证研究表明,青年农民工的就业质量偏低,且受人力资本、社会资本和社会制度的影响显著。要提高青年农民工的就业质量,必须加大青年农民工的人力资本投入,努力扩展青年农民工的社会资本,不断完善现行的社会制度体系。     

对南明永历政权之考量

明末统治阶级的横征暴敛及连年自然灾害,促使农民大起义暴发。李自成农民义军攻入北京,推翻明王朝后,紧接着吴三桂引清军入关。随着全国社会主要矛盾的急剧变化,农民起义军由原之反对明王朝统治转为联合明宗室所建南明政权共同抗清斗争。     

The role of recruitment agencies in imagining and producing the ‘good’ migrant

This paper focuses on representations of labour migrants and interrogates how such imaginaries shape migrant recruitment and employment regimes. The recruitment and employment of labour migrants inevitably involves a range of knowledge practices that affect who is recruited, from where and for what purposes. In particular, this paper seeks to advance understandings of how images of ‘bodily goodness’ are represented graphically and how perceptions of migrant workers influence the recruitment of workers to the UK from Latvia. The research described in this paper is based on interviews with recruitment agencies, employers and policy makers carried out in Latvia in 2011. The analysis results in a schema of the ‘filtering’ processes that are enacted to ‘produce’ the ‘ideal’ migrant worker. An important original contribution of this paper is that it details how recruitment agencies, in not only engaging in the spatially selective recruitment of labour from certain places but also drawing socially constructed boundaries around migrant bodies, play a key part in shaping migration geographies both in sending and destination countries.     

The home the law built: white domesticity and the designs of juvenile dependency law in Los Angeles,California

In juvenile dependency law and the spaces in which it is practiced, race, class, and gender power are produced together. This article examines the design of monitored visitation rooms in a Children’s Court in Los Angeles and argues that the esthetics of domesticity in the courthouse and the body of law practiced inside are built upon and reify a model of white, hetero-patriarchal family that precludes black filiation, both materially and metaphorically. Ultimately, this research provides a framework to understand the relationship between political power and cultural space, between normative domesticity and the punitive structures of law, and between ideologies of whiteness and the devastating experiences of black and nonwhite families in the dependency system.     

Consumption and endeavour

Over the course of the 18th century, it is apparent from studies of probate inventories that the consumption of bought textiles, stimulants and household goods among common people increased substantially. This article presents empirical evidence to demonstrate that this is the case also among fisher-farming households in the region of north Norway studied here. The article then explores the relevance of the concept of an industrious revolution to explain the changes in consumption. It would appear that increased consumption was accompanied by more strenuous work, but whether consumption change was demand or supply led is undetermined. Attention is given to what motivated the acquisition of new consumables. It is shown that new consumer goods were used to bolster traditional customs. Nonetheless, attitudes towards acquisition and a desire to increase comfort might have been significant factors leading to increasing demand.     

冲突与背离：新生代农民工群体的内在矛盾及其深层解读

新生代农民工身上包含着多种相互排斥的冲突与背离,具体表现在：心气高而能力低、学历低;不想“回乡”却又难以“入城”;收入不高,消费水平不低;频繁跳槽换工作,却难得到提升;维权意识增强,但维权环境欠佳。诸如此类的冲突与背离,折射出新生代农民工在“城市梦”的实现过程中饱含艰辛。     

论中国古代的反政府武装及其相关问题

我们通常所说的“农民起义”的领导人并不都是农民,但是只要具有政治目的,实际上就是来自社会下层的反政府武装,而皇亲国戚的叛乱和藩镇军阀的割据则是来自社会上层的反政府武装。至于那些没有政治目的土匪、强盗、邪教、帮派、会党等黑社会势力则是反社会武装。反政府武装和反社会武装都会给社会带来动乱,然而民众却往往对他们寄予同情,那是因为民众对政府不满而又不能用合法的方法去更换它。反政府武装的结局与原则只有一个——成则为王,败则为寇。反政府武装和政府的斗争不是阶级斗争,但是却推动了改朝换代,也是造成古代社会动乱不已的原因。研究反政府武装的目的是为了设计出理性明智的政治制度,建设和谐安定的社会。