Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/59354

KEYWORDS : Compressed Modernity;Risk;Risk Society;Knowledge;Consensus;Air Pollution;PM2.5;Chinese Society

Compressed modernity is a civilizational condition where economic, political, social and cultural elements coexist within compressed time and space limitations, often resulting in the formation of social risks (Chang 2010). Since its 1978 reforms, rapid industrialization has brought about accelerated compressed modernity in China and Chinese society can be seen as a typical example of this civilizational condition. Drawing on knowledge and consensus, this paper uses “Beijing Smog (PM2.5)” air pollution as a case study to compare the difference in how social risks are form in Eastern and Western societies.