Using a unique interdisciplinary, cultural-institutional analysis,
Politics of Control is the first comprehensive study of how, in the
early decades of the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese
Communist Party reshaped people’s minds using multiple methods of
control. With newly available archival material, internal
circulars, memoirs, interviews, and site visits, the book explores
the fascinating world of mass media, book publishing, education,
religion, parks, museums, and architecture during the formative
years of the republic. When the Communists assumed power in 1949,
they projected themselves as not only military victors but also as
peace restorers and cultural protectors. Believing that they needed
to manage culture in every arena, they created an interlocking
system of agencies and regulations that was supervised at the
center. Documents show, however, that there was internal conflict.
Censors, introduced early at the Beijing Daily, operated under the
"twofold leadership" of municipal-level editors but with final
authorization from the Communist Party Propaganda Department.
Politics of Control looks behind the office doors, where the
ideological split between Party chairman Mao Zedong and head of
state Liu Shaoqi made pragmatic editors bite their pencil erasers
and hope for the best. Book publishing followed a similar
multi-tier system, preventing undesirable texts from getting into
the hands of the public. In addition to designing a plan to nurture
a new generation of Chinese revolutionaries, the party-state
developed community centers that served as cultural propaganda
stations. New urban parks were used to stage political rallies for
major campaigns and public trials where threatening sects could be
attacked. A fascinating part of the story is the way in which
architecture and museums were used to promote ethnic unity under
the Chinese party-state umbrella. Besides revealing how
interlocking systems resulted in a pervasive method of control,
Politics of Control also examines how this system was influenced by
the Soviet Union and how, nevertheless, Chinese nationalism always
took precedence. Chang-tai Hung convincingly argues that the
PRC’s formative period defined the nature of the Communist regime
and its future development. The methods of cultural control have
changed over time, but many continue to have relevance today.
General
Imprint: |
University of Hawaii Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
November 2021 |
Authors: |
Chang-Tai Hung
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 26mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
288 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8248-9260-9 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-8248-9260-7 |
Barcode: |
9780824892609 |
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