The Practice of Social Governance at the Local Level: Culture and Institutions

Primary-level social governance is fundamentally linked to societal harmony and stability and to the aspiration for a better life among the populace. It has been garnering increasing attention from all sectors of society. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party proposed to "improve the primary-level social governance system, promote the modernization of grassroots governance, and ensure that society is both vibrant and well-ordered," highlighting that the new era's urban and rural governance system is an organic integration of self-governance, the rule of law, and moral governance. Simultaneously, as a nation with a long and rich history composed of multiple ethnic groups, China exhibits structural differences in geographical location, levels of economic development, and cultural practices. These disparities lead to the diversity and complexity of grassroots social governance, providing fertile ground for extensive research in this field. Since the mid-20th century, social governance has gradually evolved into a focal topic within academic research, encompassing multiple disciplines such as sociology, political science, anthropology, law, and management. The interplay between institutions and culture in governance practice-and its impact on the effectiveness of grassroots social governance-permeates related research across all these fields.

The rise of new institutionalism since the 1980s has repositioned institutional factors at the forefront of social science research, considering cultural elements like values, norms, and beliefs as critical variables in the formation, maintenance, and transformation of institutions. In anthropological studies, culture has consistently been viewed as an essential factor in understanding social behavior and organization. Cultural symbols and systems of meaning manifest differently across various societies, thereby shaping diverse social structures and governance models.

The book is divided into two parts: the first part explores the cultural factors influencing grassroots social governance, while the second part 2 focuses on institutional factors. Through detailed observation and analysis of practices in different regions, the book reveals the complex challenges encountered in the practice of social governance at the local level.

The cultural section comprises two studies: one examines the museum transformation of lineage culture in Bicun Village, Fujian, highlighting the reconstruction of lineage culture within modern society, while the other explores the adaptation of family ancestral halls in Southern Fujian amid the legal modernization process, revealing the tensions and interactions between lineage customs and formal legal structures.

Rongrong Chen （陈蓉榕）， from Yongchun, Fujian Province, holds a master's degree in Folklore from Yunnan University. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Anthropology and Ethnology at the School of Sociology and Anthropology, Xiamen University. Her research interests include social anthropology, cultural anthropology, and folklore studies.Wei Lin (林薇), from Jinjiang, Fujian, holds a master's degree in law from Nanjing University and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Anthropology and Ethnology at the School of Sociology and Anthropology, Xiamen University. Her main research areas include legal anthropology, cultural anthropology, and the socio-cultural aspects of Fujian and Taiwan.Huijie Li (李慧杰), from Xingtai, Hebei, is a doctoral student in social security at the School of Labor and Human Resources, Renmin University of China. Her primary research interests include social assistance, social policy for people with disabilities, and child welfare.Yanxia Xia (夏艳霞), a female scholar from Gaoping, Shanxi, holds a master's degree in social security from Ocean University of China and a Ph.D. in Anthropology and Ethnology from the School of Sociology and Anthropology at Xiamen University. Her primary research interests include maritime, political, and cultural anthropology.