Intellectual discourse in reform era China : the debate on the spirit of the humanities in the 1990s / Giorgio Strafella.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Strafella, Giorgio., author.

Series:

Routledge contemporary China series ; 161.

Routledge Contemporary China Series ; 161

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Humanities--China--History--20th century.

Humanities.

Popular culture--China--History--20th century.

Popular culture.

China--Intellectual life--20th century.

China.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (198 pages).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Routledge, 2017.

Summary:

This book explores intellectual discourse in reform era China by analysing the so-called "debate on the spirit of the Humanities", which occurred in the years 1993-95, and which is recognised by scholars as one of the most interesting, influential and important debates of the 1990s. This debate, in which Chinese intellectuals reflected on reform-era mass culture and on their role in society, was the first debate in China after the crackdown of 1989 and the launch of new economic reforms after Deng Xiaoping's 1992 "southern tour". The book, drawing on a large corpus of texts and a wide range of individual positions, demonstrates how Chinese intellectuals, having to face the combination of political repression and economic liberalisation, conceptualised and reacted to both. The book reveals the scale and complexity of the debate, the nature of intellectual life in China, the status and relevance of intellectual voices in society, the divisions within the intellectual sphere as well as shared concepts and ideals, and how the key factors of political repression and economic liberalisation which remain central in China today were defined and articulated.

Contents:

pt. 1. Change

pt. 2. Choice

pt. 3. World.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-315-52345-0

1-315-52343-4

1-315-52344-2

9781315523453

OCLC:

966362138