This book introduces readers to the current social and economic state of China since its restructuring in 1949. Provides insights into the targeted institutional change that is occurring simultaneously across the entire country Presents context-rich accounts of how and why these changes connect to (if not contradict) regulatory logics established during the Mao-era A new analytical framework that explicitly considers the relationship between state rescaling, policy experimentation, and path dependency Prompts readers to think about how experimental initiatives reflect and contribute to the ‘national strategy’ of Chinese development An excellent extension of ongoing theoretical work examining the entwinement of subnational regulatory reconfiguration, place-specific policy experimentation, and the reproduction of national economic advantage

This book introduces readers to the current social and economic state of China since its restructuring in 1949. Provides insights into the targeted institutional change that is occurring simultaneously across the entire country Presents context-rich accounts of how and why these changes connect to (if not contradict) regulatory logics established during the Mao-era A new analytical framework that explicitly considers the relationship between state rescaling, policy experimentation, and path dependency Prompts readers to think about how experimental initiatives reflect and contribute to the ‘national strategy’ of Chinese development An excellent extension of ongoing theoretical work examining the entwinement of subnational regulatory reconfiguration, place-specific policy experimentation, and the reproduction of national economic advantage

Nation-states today are under pressure from opposite directions. In Western Europe, they are being challenged by the call of assimilation into a larger supra-national polity. Elsewhere, as in Southeastern Europe, nation-states are being challenged by separatist forces from within, demanding independence or self-determination for particular ethnic groups. In either instance, the ultimate aim is not simply the breaking of bonds but rather a realignment of belonging. When the prospect of prosperity and the good life requires an adjustment of national identities and alliances, old myths and new tales alike are mobilized in the effort. People's choices of belonging are flexible and often blatantly pragmatic. Some will never renounce their original 'nation,' while others gladly assume two or three national identities in a lifetime, all of them with a deeply felt commitment. In The Shifting Foundations of Modern Nation-States, Sima Godfrey and Frank Unger have gathered together a distinguished, multidisciplinary group of authors to discuss national myths from Europe, North America, and Asia. Just as the plurality of nations implies diverse voices and distinct narratives, the authors, coming from different disciplines and backgrounds, represent multiple discourses on the theme of nationhood.

The rise in biennials worldwide over the past three decades--and most notably in Asia--provokes a shift away from the traditional centers of contemporary art and signifies a new cultural phenomenon that changes the way we understand the relationship between artistic creation, institutions, localities, and social relations. Biennials provide a platform for presenting contemporary art from the world over to a traveling group of art professionals, but more importantly to a wide public. Initiated by the Biennial Foundation and hosted by the Gwangju Biennale Foundation in South Korea, the inaugural World Biennial Forum investigated this multiplicity of new centers and gravities along with the heterogeneous practices in large-scale art shows today. This publication collects the presentations and discussions developed during the forum. Keynotes by eminent intellectuals on democracy, aesthetic representation, and cosmopolitanism help us conceive of biennials as an alternative space of political imagination. Case studies with a focus on Asia examine innovative and contextually relevant models of presentations of this kind in the Asia Pacific region. The contributions look back to the history of biennials, or investigate contemporary art's relationship with other disciplines. Biennials featured (selection):Anyang Public Art Project, Biennale of Sydney, Chobi Mela, Emergency Biennale, Istanbul Biennial, Mediacity Seoul, Shanghai Biennale, Taipei Biennial, Tbilisi Triennial, Yokohama Triennial