I know that I have not posted much to this blog over the past several weeks. My wife and friends regularly remind me of this. Getting back from China, I had stacks of work to get through, and I am still trying to catch up. Now I am preparing for the upcoming meeting of the Rural Sociological Society in New Hampshire, my son will be leaving home for the MS School for Math and Science, and the fall semester starts in just a few weeks!
I do have a couple of posts planned for the near future. 1) DSU was recently visited by Lazare Sebitereko from the DR Congo. He is helping to develop a new college and one of the degree options will be in community development. 2) I am teaching a course entitled "Delta in Global Context" this fall, and I have been doing a good bit of musing on the position of the Delta in relation to the so-called "developed" and "underdeveloped" countries. Where does this unique region fit in the grand narratives of social, economic and political development?
Well, there is more to come!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Back in the U.S. of A.
Well, I arrived at the Memphis International Airport after midnight on Tuesday (which was actually Wednesday morning) after a long day. With the time changes, my Tuesday lasted something like 36 hours, in locations including Shanghai and Beijing in China, and then San Francisco and Houston in the US, before getting to Memphis. Larry Troy and I traveled together as far as San Francisco, and then Elle (my wonderful wife) met me in Memphis. On Wednesday, we drove back to Cleveland.
It took me a few days to get over the jet lag, but based on good advice from Lisa Long (my sister-in-law who works with Save the Children and travels internationally), I was able to beat it without too much pain. The trouble really started when I attacked the pile of work on my desk and the long list of emails that accumulated during my brief international sabbatical (that term sounds better to me than just a trip to China).
Now it is time to think through all of things I learned about in China, and all of the questions I have. Here are some though sketches from the sociologist in me...
--China offers us an important case study for trying to understand the connections between economic growth, environment and health. On the one hand, with the rapid economic growth in the country, people's material living standards have increased (on average that is) which is good for health in terms of access to better housing and caloric intake. On the other hand, the pace of growth has outstripped the willingness and ability of government to deal with the darker side of problems caused by heavy air and water pollution. As one of the world's quickly rising economic powers, these are important issues not just for China but the rest of us as well. Who knows, in thinking through them, maybe those of us in the U.S. can learn something to take corrective action here at home.
--Transportation is an issue of immense importance in all societies, yet sociologists and other social scientists seem to be behind the curve in studying this issue. I know there are some people doing this work, but they are clearly not dominant within our fields. The importance of this really came to me while looking at the model of Shanghai and then reading a book about the environment in China on the plane ride home. Typically, the concern is with cars - the cost, needed infrastructure, congestion, time away from home, and the pollution. Also in need of attention are buses, trains and airplanes. Maybe most important to civilization is how we go about designing where education, work and services are provided in relation to where people live. We seem to take transportation as a given, but there are costs involved. These don't just impact our pocketbooks as with the current gas price problems, but the environment and our health as well.
(The irony of reading a book about pollution on a plane burning thousands of gallons of fuel was not lost on me.)
--The massive rural to urban migration and associated dislocation and vulnerability of people in the lower socioeconomic spheres is an area of great importance. Luckily, many of the professors and students we met in China are concerned about this and directing their attention this way. We all need to be considering the patterns, forces at work and implications of these changes. We went through some of this in the U.S., and have learned somethings worth sharing. Now, of course, there are differences as population movements take place internally, internationally and even globally. How does this impact education, the workforce and provisioning of social and health services?
--All in all, these issues beg us to give more attention to concepts of social development and sustainable development.--
It took me a few days to get over the jet lag, but based on good advice from Lisa Long (my sister-in-law who works with Save the Children and travels internationally), I was able to beat it without too much pain. The trouble really started when I attacked the pile of work on my desk and the long list of emails that accumulated during my brief international sabbatical (that term sounds better to me than just a trip to China).
Now it is time to think through all of things I learned about in China, and all of the questions I have. Here are some though sketches from the sociologist in me...
--China offers us an important case study for trying to understand the connections between economic growth, environment and health. On the one hand, with the rapid economic growth in the country, people's material living standards have increased (on average that is) which is good for health in terms of access to better housing and caloric intake. On the other hand, the pace of growth has outstripped the willingness and ability of government to deal with the darker side of problems caused by heavy air and water pollution. As one of the world's quickly rising economic powers, these are important issues not just for China but the rest of us as well. Who knows, in thinking through them, maybe those of us in the U.S. can learn something to take corrective action here at home.
--Transportation is an issue of immense importance in all societies, yet sociologists and other social scientists seem to be behind the curve in studying this issue. I know there are some people doing this work, but they are clearly not dominant within our fields. The importance of this really came to me while looking at the model of Shanghai and then reading a book about the environment in China on the plane ride home. Typically, the concern is with cars - the cost, needed infrastructure, congestion, time away from home, and the pollution. Also in need of attention are buses, trains and airplanes. Maybe most important to civilization is how we go about designing where education, work and services are provided in relation to where people live. We seem to take transportation as a given, but there are costs involved. These don't just impact our pocketbooks as with the current gas price problems, but the environment and our health as well.
(The irony of reading a book about pollution on a plane burning thousands of gallons of fuel was not lost on me.)
--The massive rural to urban migration and associated dislocation and vulnerability of people in the lower socioeconomic spheres is an area of great importance. Luckily, many of the professors and students we met in China are concerned about this and directing their attention this way. We all need to be considering the patterns, forces at work and implications of these changes. We went through some of this in the U.S., and have learned somethings worth sharing. Now, of course, there are differences as population movements take place internally, internationally and even globally. How does this impact education, the workforce and provisioning of social and health services?
--All in all, these issues beg us to give more attention to concepts of social development and sustainable development.--
A Parting Shot
Wendy, national tour guide for China Advocates, and John Green pose with the DSU Fighting Okra(Picture compliments of Arne Kalleberg)
When the Fighting Okra finished his tour of China, he asked for a picture of good will! Who would have guessed... East meets West through the intervention of food with boxing gloves.
When the Fighting Okra finished his tour of China, he asked for a picture of good will! Who would have guessed... East meets West through the intervention of food with boxing gloves.
Monday, June 9, 2008
June 9, 2008
Wow! Today was our last full day in China. I am looking forward to getting home to see my family. However, I will miss the daily new experiences and insights I have been enjoying here in the "Middle Kingdom."
We spent the morning at the Shanghai Museum. Among the numerous collections with items dating back for hundreds of years (in some cases thousands of years), my favorite was the coin and paper money collection. I find the symbols humans use to convey exchange value to be very interesting and telling.
Fudan University (in Shanghai) was our afternoon stop. It was a good opportunity to meet with faculty and students affiliated with the Institute of Social Development and Public Policy. After introductions from both delegations, we took turns talking about our interest areas, and then there was an open discussion of social science issues in China. Turn out was great, especially given that today was a Chinese holiday. After the formal part of the meeting, we had smaller, more informal discussions. I really appreciated having the opportunity to interact with the students from Fudan. They are passionate about their studies and eager to learn.
I am writing this quickly, because time is limited before we have our farewell dinner at Dingxiang Garden. Tomorrow morning we will all be leaving Shanghai. Some of the people in the group will go to the locations of the extended trips, while others of us will return to our homes. Along with Larry Troy, I will fly from Shanghai to Beijing, and then switch planes and fly to San Francisco. There we will part company, and I will fly to Memphis with a layover in Texas. My lovely wife will meet me in Memphis!
After my return to the states and recuperation from the jet lag, I will begin posting some of my reflections on the time in China and what I observed. Additionally, the group will have a blog sponsored by the American Sociological Association. Once it is ready, I will post that address on this site.
In the meantime... I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog.
To all of the folks on the China trip - I really had a great time traveling and getting to know you.
We spent the morning at the Shanghai Museum. Among the numerous collections with items dating back for hundreds of years (in some cases thousands of years), my favorite was the coin and paper money collection. I find the symbols humans use to convey exchange value to be very interesting and telling.
Fudan University (in Shanghai) was our afternoon stop. It was a good opportunity to meet with faculty and students affiliated with the Institute of Social Development and Public Policy. After introductions from both delegations, we took turns talking about our interest areas, and then there was an open discussion of social science issues in China. Turn out was great, especially given that today was a Chinese holiday. After the formal part of the meeting, we had smaller, more informal discussions. I really appreciated having the opportunity to interact with the students from Fudan. They are passionate about their studies and eager to learn.
I am writing this quickly, because time is limited before we have our farewell dinner at Dingxiang Garden. Tomorrow morning we will all be leaving Shanghai. Some of the people in the group will go to the locations of the extended trips, while others of us will return to our homes. Along with Larry Troy, I will fly from Shanghai to Beijing, and then switch planes and fly to San Francisco. There we will part company, and I will fly to Memphis with a layover in Texas. My lovely wife will meet me in Memphis!
After my return to the states and recuperation from the jet lag, I will begin posting some of my reflections on the time in China and what I observed. Additionally, the group will have a blog sponsored by the American Sociological Association. Once it is ready, I will post that address on this site.
In the meantime... I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog.
To all of the folks on the China trip - I really had a great time traveling and getting to know you.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
More Photos from June 7, 2008
I got new batteries for my camera, and was able to access a few pictures from Hangzhou on June 7.
On the grounds of the Buddhist Temple
A Dragon Well Green Tea farmJune 8, 2008
Other than the travel from Hangzhou to Shanghai, today was slow. Compared to the rest of the trip, that is. The drive, via bus, took between two and three hours. Along the way we stopped at a truck stop. It shared many similarities with what we are used to in the U.S.
Upon arriving in Shanghai, we changed to a new bus and met up with the local tour guide Susie Shen. She took us on a quick tour of the Shanghai City Planning Museum. It was interesting. Located in the downtown area off of People’s Park, there were historic photos and maps. Also interesting were the models of the city, including the full model of what Shanghai is expected to look like in the next decade. From a community development standpoint, I found this to be an interesting museum. Unfortunately, we had to move through it quickly (I was never clear on why this was the case, because our afternoon was open).
Lunch was held at LvBolang Restaurant, which according to Wendy and Susie is famous for its dim sum style of Chinese food. I really liked the look and feel of the place. It was crowded, busy and reminded me of a diner-style restaurant in the U.S.
We then checked into the hotel where will be staying throughout our visit to Shanghai – Garden Hotel. Interestingly, I am writing this blog entry from the 21st floor of the building and overlooking downtown Shanghai, including several apartment buildings.
On Susie’s recommendation, several of us went to visit a demonstration silk factory. We learned about the separation and conversion of cocoons into silk thread and how the threads are then used to weave rugs, clothing and, for the double and triple larvae cocoons, quilting material.
After getting back to the hotel, I went walking for a while in downtown Shanghai. Shoppers were on the street, visiting the numerous Western stores along with local shops. I visited a grocery store and department store. It was interesting that most of the billboards and other advertisements featured Caucasian men and women, not Chinese (Brent Shea, another sociologist on this trip, pointed this out on the bus). After surveying shopping life and being surrounded by McDonald’s, Dairy Queen, Starbucks and Haagen Das, I realized that globalization has created a situation where I could fall asleep in Chicago and wake up in Shanghai and probably not know that I had gone anywhere.
Upon arriving in Shanghai, we changed to a new bus and met up with the local tour guide Susie Shen. She took us on a quick tour of the Shanghai City Planning Museum. It was interesting. Located in the downtown area off of People’s Park, there were historic photos and maps. Also interesting were the models of the city, including the full model of what Shanghai is expected to look like in the next decade. From a community development standpoint, I found this to be an interesting museum. Unfortunately, we had to move through it quickly (I was never clear on why this was the case, because our afternoon was open).
Lunch was held at LvBolang Restaurant, which according to Wendy and Susie is famous for its dim sum style of Chinese food. I really liked the look and feel of the place. It was crowded, busy and reminded me of a diner-style restaurant in the U.S.
We then checked into the hotel where will be staying throughout our visit to Shanghai – Garden Hotel. Interestingly, I am writing this blog entry from the 21st floor of the building and overlooking downtown Shanghai, including several apartment buildings.
On Susie’s recommendation, several of us went to visit a demonstration silk factory. We learned about the separation and conversion of cocoons into silk thread and how the threads are then used to weave rugs, clothing and, for the double and triple larvae cocoons, quilting material.
After getting back to the hotel, I went walking for a while in downtown Shanghai. Shoppers were on the street, visiting the numerous Western stores along with local shops. I visited a grocery store and department store. It was interesting that most of the billboards and other advertisements featured Caucasian men and women, not Chinese (Brent Shea, another sociologist on this trip, pointed this out on the bus). After surveying shopping life and being surrounded by McDonald’s, Dairy Queen, Starbucks and Haagen Das, I realized that globalization has created a situation where I could fall asleep in Chicago and wake up in Shanghai and probably not know that I had gone anywhere.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
