Moral Economy and Its Understanding in the Course of Chinese Mod-ernization——An Anthropological Case Study of Freshwater Fisheries
The concept of moral economy has gained significance in social sciences due to the atten-tion given by the academic community to the changing livelihoods of underprivileged and marginalized groups.The reciprocal obligations and behaviors of individuals during the time-space transition are regula-ted by the relationship between moral responsibility and economic activity.Traditional capture fisheries were historically characterized by patriarchy and subsistence security,which ensured fishermen's right to subsistence and the continuation of the aquatic society.However,with the introduction of market mecha-nisms and changes in production,fisheries have become industrialized,and fishermen have been able to accumulate wealth to protect themselves and their families from the risks of survival.Under a market econ-omy,fisheries production promotes the principles of free and fair competition and the rational pursuit of profits,resulting in a fishing economy centered on developmentalism.However,overfishing not only re-flects a moral failure in terms of the ecological environment and economic growth,but also seriously jeop-ardizes the survival interests of fishermen themselves.The restoration of aquatic plants and animals to their natural habitat has been achieved through the process of"de-embedding man and nature"and transitio-ning towards a"harmonious coexistence of man and nature".As a result,fishermen have been removed from fishing and are now in the liminality of the transitioning from a fishing to a non-fishing livelihood.It is important to note that this transition is ongoing for fishers as well.In this regard,a moral economy that promotes both ecosystem justice and social justice is the ethical foundation for enhancing the resilience of fishermen's livelihoods and realizing the modernization of harmonious coexistence between human beings and nature.
Moral EconomySustainable FisheriesChinese ModernizationWater SocietyFish-ermen
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