Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No. 12, 2025

Chinese Agency in the Knowledge Production of Social Sciences

(Abstract)

Guo Taihui

Knowledge production in the social sciences involves four core elements: research stance, question-oriented consciousness, argumentative process, and research purpose. Constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese social sciences requires consistently integrating Chinese agency as the core thread throughout knowledge production. Research stance serves as the fundamental premise of knowledge production, grounded in the cultural subjectivity of China, which underpins the dual attributes of the social sciences and enables communication and integration among its various disciplines. Question-oriented consciousness drives knowledge production by formulating genuine and meaningful questions centered on Chinese society, thereby establishing the social, historical, and cultural foundations for enhancing Chinese agency. The argumentative process ensures the scientific validity and rationality of knowledge products; using Chinese agency as a shared evaluative standard enables the reassessment of established theories and methods and supports theoretical reconstruction based on China’s socio-historical experiences. A pragmatic research purpose not only demonstrates the subjectivity of Chinese culture but also highlights Chinese agency by engaging in discussions on major international theoretical and practical issues. In the process of indigenizing the social sciences in China, whether Chinese agency becomes the core thread of knowledge production depends domestically on grounding it in Chinese philosophy and historical research and externally on sustaining long-term international influence on and contributions to the world.