Doctoral Dissertation Research: Chinese Film Industry in the Post-Mao Era: An Organizational Analysis of the Field of Cultural Production Since 1978

中国市场转型给组织转型带来了实质性的挑战和机遇。一些社会学研究试图通过考察国有和私营企业来把握这一变化，但很少有人关注文化产业的组织转型，因为文化产业有其自身的制度约束和机遇。这项研究将考察中国文化产业的一个部门--中国电影业的组织特征。我将研究文化生产领域中的个人和组织行为者如何应对从20世纪70年代末到现在的改革开放政策带来的不确定性。这项研究将在北京进行，中国，将依靠对行业关键参与者的采访，以及对其历史和现状的详细档案研究。我提出以下研究问题：1)构成中国电影市场的组织结构有什么特点？2)嵌入组织领域的组织所采用的战略和结构是什么？3)正在制作的电影的文本内容与生产的工业体系和组织之间是什么关系--换句话说，“文本”和“语境”如何相互作用才能产生当代中国电影领域？4)国家在上述过程中扮演着什么角色？这项研究的更广泛影响包括：这项研究提供的科学知识将以研究成果陈述和合作研讨会的形式与包括北京电影学院在内的行业内各种专业组织分享。此外，由于这项研究使用了社会学以外的其他学科(即中国研究、组织研究、电影和媒体研究)的理论和方法，研究结果将在多学科和跨学科的会议、研讨会和其他专业场所传播。

The Chinese market transition has brought about substantial challenges and opportunities for organizational transformation. A number of sociological studies have attempted to grasp the change by examining both state-owned and private enterprises, however, few have focused on the organizational transformation in the culture industry which has its own institutional constraints and opportunities. This study will examine the organizational characteristics of one sector of the Chinese culture industry-the Chinese film industry. I will examine how actors, both individual and organizational, in the field of cultural production are coping with uncertainties brought about by the policy of Reform and Opening from the late 1970s to the present. The research will be conducted in Beijing, China, and will rely on interviews with key actors in the industry as well as on detailed archival research of its history and present conditions. I ask the following research questions: 1) What are the characteristics of organizational configurations that comprise the Chinese film markets? 2) What are the strategies and structures being adopted by organizations embedded in the organizational field? 3) What is the relationship between the textual content of films being produced and the industrial system and organization of production-in other words, how do "text" and "context" interact to produce the contemporary Chinese film field? 4) What are the roles of the state in the above processes? The broader impacts of this research include the following: The scientific knowledge provided by this research will be shared with various professional organizations in the industry including the Beijing Film Academy in the form of presentations of the research findings as well as collaborative workshops. In addition, since this research utilizes theory and methods from a number of disciplines other than sociology (i.e., Chinese studies, organizational studies, film and media studies) results of the study will be disseminated in multi- and interdisciplinary conferences, workshops, and and other professional venues.