Who's afraid of China? : the challenge of Chinese soft power / Michael Barr.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Barr, Michael.

Series:

Asian arguments

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

China--Foreign relations.

China.

International relations.

Civilization, Western--Chinese influences.

Civilization, Western.

China--Civilization.

Civilization.

Physical Description:

154 pages ; 22 cm.

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Zed Books, [2011]

Summary:

If China suddenly democratized, would it cease being labelled as a threat? This provocative book argues that fears of China often say as much about those who hold them as they do about the rising power itself. It focuses not on the usual trope of economic and military might, but on China's growing cultural influence and the connections between China's domestic politics and its attempts to brand itself internationally. Using examples from film, education, media, politics and art, Who's Afraid of China? is both an introduction to Chinese soft power and a critical analysis of international reaction to it. It examines how the West's own past, hopes and fears shape the way it thinks about and engages with China and argues that the rising power touches a nerve in the Western psyche, presenting a fundamental challenge to ideas about modernity, history and international relations. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 The challenge of China's development model

2 The myth and reality of Chinese soft power

3 Cultural alternative? Or imagined power?

4 The yellow man's burden

5 Understanding the fear of China.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [136]-147) and index.

ISBN:

9781848135895

1848135890

9781848135901

1848135904

OCLC:

721883895