History and Nationalist Legitimacy in Contemporary China
Title | History and Nationalist Legitimacy in Contemporary China PDF eBook |
Author | Robert Weatherley |
Publisher | Springer |
Pages | 209 |
Release | 2017-08-30 |
Genre | Political Science |
ISBN | 1137479477 |
This book examines how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has attempted to bolster its nationalist legitimacy through the utilisation of Chinese history. The authors identify two different modes of nationalism - aggressive and consensual - both of which are linked to the historical memory of the late Qing Dynasty and Republican era. Aggressive nationalism dwells on China’s traumatic “century of humiliation” and is intended to incite popular resentment towards former imperialist powers (particularly Japan and the US) whenever they are deemed to still be acting in a provocative manner in their dealings with China. The aim is to remind the Chinese people that the CCP liberated China from imperialism after 1949 and has since restored national pride. Consensual nationalism is more conciliatory, emphasising common historical ties with the Guomindang (KMT) during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Republican era. Here, the CCP is trying to promote itself as the party of national harmony and unity, with the long-term objective being peaceful reunification with Taiwan. However, the public response in China has not always been supportive of the CCP’s claims to be the sole defender of Chinese national interests. Some critics have suggested that China would have been better off if the KMT had won the civil war instead of the CCP. Others have insisted that the party is hopelessly weak on issues of national importance and that China is no stronger now than it was during the final throes of the much-hated Qing Dynasty. This book will be of interest to research students and scholars of Chinese politics, history and international relations.
A Nation-State by Construction
Title | A Nation-State by Construction PDF eBook |
Author | Suisheng Zhao |
Publisher | Stanford University Press |
Pages | 380 |
Release | 2004 |
Genre | Political Science |
ISBN | 9780804750011 |
This is the first historically comprehensive, up-to-date analysis of the causes, content, and consequences of nationalism in China, an ancient empire that has struggled to construct a nation-state and find its place in the modern world. It shows how Chinese political elites have competed to promote different types of nationalism linked to their political values and interests and imposed them on the nation while trying to repress other types of nationalism. In particular, the book reveals how leaders of the PRC have adopted a pragmatic strategy to use nationalism while struggling to prevent it from turning into a menace rather than a prop.
Cultural Nationalism in Contemporary China
Title | Cultural Nationalism in Contemporary China PDF eBook |
Author | Yingjie Guo |
Publisher | Routledge |
Pages | 246 |
Release | 2004-03-01 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 1134352271 |
In the vast majority of literature on 'Chinese nationalism' the distinction between nation and state is rarely made, consequently nationalism usually appears as loyalty to the state rather than identification with the nation. Yet, since 1989, both the official configuration of the nation and the state's monopolized right to name the nation have come under rigorous challenge. Cultural Nationalism in Contemporary China relocates the discussion of nationalism to within a more contemporary framework which explores the disjunction between the people and the state and the relationship of each to the nation. With its challenging exploration of one of the most neglected aspects of identity in China, this book should appeal to Asianists, China watchers and all of those with an interest in cultural and sociological phenomena in East Asia.
Never Forget National Humiliation
Title | Never Forget National Humiliation PDF eBook |
Author | Zheng Wang |
Publisher | Columbia University Press |
Pages | 312 |
Release | 2012 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 0231148909 |
Wang follows the Chinese Communist Party's ideological re-education of the public through the exploitation of China's humiliating modern history, tracking the CCP's use of history education to glorify the party, re-establish its legitimacy, consolidate national identity, and justify one-party rule in the post-Tiananmen and post-Cold War era.
Politics in China since 1949
Title | Politics in China since 1949 PDF eBook |
Author | Robert Weatherley |
Publisher | Routledge |
Pages | 402 |
Release | 2007-01-24 |
Genre | Political Science |
ISBN | 1134166567 |
Since the victory of the 1949 revolution the incumbency of the Chinese Communist Party has been characterized by an almost relentless struggle to legitimize its monopoly on political power. During the Mao era, attempts to derive legitimacy focused primarily on mass participation in political affairs, a blend of Marxist and nationalist ideology, and the charismatic authority of Mao Zedong. The dramatic failure of the Cultural Revolution forced the post-Mao leadership to discard these discredited paradigms of legitimacy and move towards an almost exclusively performance based concept founded on market economic reform. The reforms during the 1980s generated a number of unwelcome but inevitable side effects such as official corruption, high unemployment and significant socio-economic inequality. These factors culminated ultimately in the 1989 demonstrations in Tiananmen Square and throughout China. Since Tiananmen the party has sought to diversify the basis of its legitimacy by adhering more closely to constitutional procedures in decision making and, to a certain extent, by reinventing itself as a conservative nationalist party. This probing study of post-communist revolution Chinese politics sets out to discover if there is a plausible alternative to the electoral mode or if legitimacy is the exclusive domain of the multi-party system.
Dialect and Nationalism in China, 1860–1960
Title | Dialect and Nationalism in China, 1860–1960 PDF eBook |
Author | Gina Anne Tam |
Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
Pages | 277 |
Release | 2020-03-05 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 110847828X |
Analyzes how fangyan (local Chinese languages or dialects) were central to the creation of modern Chinese nationalism.
Places of Memory in Modern China
Title | Places of Memory in Modern China PDF eBook |
Author | Marc Andre Matten |
Publisher | BRILL |
Pages | 297 |
Release | 2011-12-09 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 9004219013 |
The book offers a new approach to the discussion on the issue of Chinese national identity, providing new insights in how identity is constructed and contested. These issues are of vital concern for the understanding of contemporary China and its national consciousness.