Speaker
Description
In recent years, amid overlapping global socio-ecological crises, the deep involvement of external capital in rural areas—alongside the reconfiguration of local resources—has given rise to an increasingly complex landscape of rural transformation. This study focuses on the issue of “rural spatial commodification” instigated by collaborative projects in “rural construction” and “rural cultural creativity” (collectively referred to as “Min-Tai rural construction and creativity”) between Fujian Province in southeastern China and Taiwanese teams. Drawing on the theory of embeddedness, the research explores the deeper interaction mechanisms among external capital, policy facilitation, and local social networks.
The study focuses on scientific issues including the identification of potential value in rural spatial commodification, external team engagement and cross-regional cooperation models, rural industrial choices and transformations from an embeddedness perspective, and the principal factors and internal mechanisms affecting the quality and social sustainability of commodification.
The study investigates several Min-Tai rural construction and creativity initiatives in Fujian Province and selects Meixiong Village in Minqing County—where rural spatial commodification is particularly pronounced—as the primary case. First, using spatial surveys and policy documents, it systematically evaluates changes in land use scale, spatial configurations, and economic returns before and after the introduction of these projects. Second, through questionnaires and in-depth interviews, it examines how external teams (e.g., Taiwanese planners and cultural designers) collaborate with local governments, village communities, and residents, thereby synthesizing the cultural shifts and social restructuring processes driven by commodification.
The study’s findings indicate the following:
(1) Rural spatial commodification accelerates the expansion of service and consumption functions. External funding and policies rapidly transform the village from a traditional production setting into a space for tourism and cultural experiences, while also posing risks of “landscape-based” development and image-driven marketing.
(2) The degree of embeddedness in cross-regional cooperation shapes outcomes. When Taiwan–Mainland teams achieve deep convergence in economic, organizational, and institutional terms, villagers enjoy more substantial benefits; otherwise, cultural symbols may be overexploited, marginalizing local stakeholders.
(3) Commodification can stimulate economic vitality but may also spark cultural distortion. Although cultural tourism projects may temporarily boost industrial diversification and create employment, insufficient respect for local culture and community governance risks leading to “a thousand villages with one face” and eroding local memory.
(4) The triad of economic, organizational, and institutional embeddedness is critical for guiding a sustainable transition. Strengthening property rights, pursuing institutional innovation, and establishing mechanisms for multi-stakeholder collaboration can help avert resource imbalances triggered by one-way ‘capital invasion,’ thereby providing a more resilient pathway for rural revitalization in the post-growth era.
Under post-growth imperatives, this embeddedness-based study highlights cross-regional collaboration in Fujian–Taiwan rural revitalization, revealing critical interplays between external capital and local networks. Findings underscore equitable institutions, local culture preservation, and community rights as essential to navigate global “rural commodification” amid intensifying socio-ecological challenges.
References
[1] Granovetter, M. (1985). Economic action and social structure: The problem of embeddedness. American journal of sociology, 91(3), 481-510.
[2] Liu, Y., & Li, Y. (2017). Revitalize the world’s countryside. Nature, 548(7667), 275-277.
[3] Li, Y., Westlund, H., Zheng, X., & Liu, Y. (2016). Bottom-up initiatives and revival in the face of rural decline: Case studies from China and Sweden. Journal of Rural Studies, 47, 506-513.
[4] Gemici, K. (2008). Karl Polanyi and the antinomies of embeddedness. Socio-economic review, 6(1), 5-33.
[5] Stinchcombe, A. L. (1965). Organizational and social structure. In. JG March (ed.), Handbook of Organizations (142-93).
| Keywords | rural spatial commodification; embeddedness theory; cross-regional collaboration; multi-stakeholder synergy |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
