{"product_id":"the-trading-crowd-an-ethnography-of-the-shanghai-stock-market","title":"The Trading Crowd: An Ethnography of the Shanghai Stock Market","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn this review of The Trading Crowd, Ellen Hertz offers a focused anthropological look at Shanghai's 1992 stock fever and its social consequences. The book is for readers who want an ethnographic perspective on market behavior rather than a technical finance manual. Hertz's strongest contribution is to place investors, officials and state policy within Shanghai's broader social fabric, explaining how a local \u003cstrong\u003emoral storyline\u003c\/strong\u003e shaped participation and contest over the market.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eKey Features\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEthnographic fieldwork:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hertz uses close observation and interviews to reveal how everyday Shanghai residents engaged with the sudden emergence of a stock market.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eState and society focus:\u003c\/strong\u003e The book shows how the Chinese state played a dominant role in shaping market institutions and public narratives around investing.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eInvestor dynamics:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hertz maps the tensions among big investors, small investors and state actors to explain competing claims over market control.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCultural interpretation:\u003c\/strong\u003e The study interprets stock trading as embedded in moral and social meanings rather than purely economic calculations.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHistorical snapshot:\u003c\/strong\u003e The account captures a specific moment in 1992 Shanghai that illustrates broader transitions in Chinese political economy.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWho It's For\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book suits students and scholars in \u003cstrong\u003eanthropology\u003c\/strong\u003e, social sciences and contemporary Chinese studies who want a compact case study of how market forms interact with state authority and local culture. It is also useful for policy researchers interested in governance and financial socialization in non-Western settings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReaders seeking a technical guide to trading strategies, up-to-the-minute market analysis or statistics should look elsewhere; this is qualitative social research focused on meaning, institutions and social conflict rather than on charts or financial advice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003ePros \u0026amp; Cons\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePros\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProvides rich, ground-level ethnographic detail that highlights how traders and officials interpreted market change.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHighlights the central role of the state, offering a corrective to Western-centric market accounts.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eClear narrative about the competing moral claims of large and small investors within Shanghai society.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCons\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe focus on a specific 1992 moment means readers expecting contemporary market coverage will not find recent data or post-1990s developments.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTitle\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eThe Trading Crowd: An Ethnography of the Shanghai Stock Market\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAuthor\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEllen Hertz\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSeries\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCambridge Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology, Series Number 108\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSubject\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAnthropology and cultural study of markets\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFocus period\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1992 stock fever in Shanghai\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMain themes\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eState role, investor behavior, moral narratives\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eOur Verdict\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHertz's study is a valuable purchase for anyone wanting an ethnographic account of how markets are socially constructed in a non-Western context; it delivers thoughtful analysis of state influence and competing investor claims and represents good value for students and researchers seeking depth over breadth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs this book a technical guide to trading?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo. It is an anthropological study focused on social meaning, not trading tactics or financial instruction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat period does the book examine?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe research centers on the 1992 period when stock trading expanded rapidly in Shanghai.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWho is the author?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEllen Hertz, an anthropologist who studies how markets and state institutions intersect in Chinese society.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ellen Hertz","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48759248257243,"sku":"0521563550","price":126.8,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0724\/1043\/1707\/files\/71QzRM-OyXL._SL1360.jpg?v=1778400485","url":"https:\/\/gearmusthave.com\/products\/the-trading-crowd-an-ethnography-of-the-shanghai-stock-market","provider":"GearMustHave","version":"1.0","type":"link"}