El capitalismo y las religiones de China: revisión de los postulados de Max Weber en la China del nuevo siglo

Abstract

The purpose of this doctoral research is to determine to what extent we can apply Max Weber's interpretations, analysis, and conclusions about Imperial China to the country's economic rise in the last decades. In order to find an answer to this problem, thesis director Dr. Josetxo Beriain Razquin and I designed a research methodology aimed to test the applicability of Weber's theories and explanations on some of the most crucial aspects of Chinese economic and social development, such as education, entrepreneurship, and the relative strategies of the state and the local government. The study of the educational aspect started in September 2011, and resulted in 20 interviewed and 100 surveyed students, all of them from Wuhan University, one of the top-10 universities in China. For the question of governmental strategies, I researched mainly through observant participation in the “2012 Gansu International Fellowship Program”, a 2-month experience of international cooperation in which I took part as a delegate of the Spanish province of Navarre. And regarding entrepreneurship, I completed more than 10 collaborations with Spanish and Chinese companies operating in Chinese and inside sectors such as renewable energies, real estate, tourism, food and high technology. The interpretation and analysis phases of this doctoral thesis have been completed in a year and a half period studyig at Jilin University, under the guidance of Professor Tian Yipeng, who helped me achieve a better understanding of the deep changes faced by Chinese society since the decline of Work Unit-oriented communities, and the rise of the State-owned enterprises. Regarding the conclusions of the research, they can be summarized in three main questions: 1) The emphasis of Max Weber on the tension between the intra-mundane and ultra-mundane spheres has led to much confusion among researchers, especially those who use this factor to elaborate anti-materialist explanations of the so called “Chinese miracle” and, thus, ignore “external” factors of pressure such as governmental policies, inter-familiar competition for a higher economic and social status, and a “technical” puritanism that coerces Chinese people to focus on training and work. 2) According to the evidence collected, Weber's plural concept of “the religions of China”, appears far more accurate than the concept of “Confucian capitalism”, since it offers the possibility of including some of the most popular business-related cults and ethical perspectives, the majority of which can't be considered as an exclusive heritage of Confucianism. 3) The results of this research strongly suggest the presence of the “adaptive” rationality that Weber considered as opposed to the one dominant in the West, although it is possible that a good part of the nation's successful efforts towards the so called “Chinese dream” have been driven by this mentality.