Chinese Relationalism: Theoretical Construction and Methodological Considerations

Abstract

The goal of this article is attempting to establish a research tradition of Chinese relationalism on the methodological grounds of constructive realism. Two of Ho’s (1993, 1998a) key concepts, person‐in‐relations and persons‐in‐relation, are carefully examined and reinterpreted. Three of my theoretical models, namely, my Face and Favor model (Hwang, 1987), Confucian ethics for ordinary people (Hwang, 1995), and a conflict resolution model (Hwang, 1997‐8), are conceived of as microworlds for illustrating an account of person‐in relations in Chinese culture. The manifestation of Confucian ethics for ordinary people in one’s lifeworld results in the phenomenology of persons‐in‐relations as depicted by Fei’s (1948) differential order or Hsu’s (1971a) psychosociogram. Applying constructive realism to my models and using the result as a framework for studying Chinese social behavior constitutes Chinese relationalism.