城市化与容忍度——域外争鸣与本土启示

城市化水平的发展是否会提升城市居民对对外来移民的容忍度, 这对关系的研究没有形成一致的意见。一方面, 经典理论考察了城市化水平和地方区域特征对众多外来目标群体的一般态度, 认为从多元化与异质性的角度上, 城市居民比起乡村居民更加开明与宽容;另一方面, 群体边界的视角却持一种相反的观点, 他们认为对城市化中群体边界的封闭性与排他性会加剧对外来者的歧视。这些争鸣对中国城市化进程中的农民工的社会融合有着重要的启示。

URBANIZATION AND TOLERANCE: DEBATE IN WEST COUNTRIES AND IMPLICATION FOR CHINA

Although the nexus between urbanization and tolerance towards migrants has been well documented, there is no consensus on whether the urbanization reduces the urbanities' prejudice for migrants. Classical theory named urbanism proposition examines the independent effect of urbanization and regionalism on general attitudes toward a host of target groups. Compared with the urbanism proposition, an alternative approach, despite its significance of explaining urbanites' acceptance and tolerance of non-urbanites, has not been systematically examined. It origins from social identity theory, which focuses on the permeability of what name symbolic or social restrictions and its outcome in personal and group mobility approach. Assessment critically consistent with a contradictory propensity in social categories has started to question the elevation of diversity as a panacea for enduring prejudice and intergroup hostility. Scholars engaging in collection classification have investigated the distinction among 'us' and 'them'. China's comparative advantage in its labor force is one of the main factors contributing to the country's rapid economic development. Among the relevant studies, marginalization is a term frequently used to describe the experience of rural migrant workers being discriminated against by urban residents. Some researchers regard the household registration system as one of the most significant mechanisms contributing to the marginalization of these migrant workers. Many researches presented in literature have been principally focused on the subject of urbanization and tolerance in some countries in west world; they may have great enlightenments for the research about the relationship between urbanization and tolerance in contemporary China. Therefore, this debate has great policy implication for social integration of migrant workers in the process of urbanization in China.