Culture and Social Transformations Ideas, History, and Modern China
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Culture and Social Transformations Ideas, History, and Modern China Edited by Ban Wang, Stanford University Wang Hui, Tsinghua University VOLUME 7 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/ihmc Culture and Social Transformations Theoretical Framework and Chinese Context Edited by Cao Tianyu Zhong Xueping Liao Kebin Ban Wang LEIDEN • BOSTON 2014 Some of the articles were translated into English from Chinese with financial support from the Confucius Institute at Stanford University. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Culture and social transformations : theoretical framework and Chinese context / edited by Cao Tianyu, Zhong Xueping, Liao Kebin, Wang Ban. pages cm. — (Ideas, history, and modern China, ISSN 1875-9394 ; volume 7) “This is the second collection of essays based on the third conference of the “Culture and Social Transformations in Reform era China” project. Conceived in 2003, the project has been carried out by the editors of this volume in collaboration with Lin Chun of The London School of Economics. The third conference was held in 2009 at Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.” Introduction. Includes index. ISBN 978-90-04-26050-4 (hardback : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-90-04-26051-1 (e-book) 1. China— Civilization—1976–2002—Congresses. 2. Social change—China—History—20th century— Congresses. 3. China—Social conditions—1976–2000—Congresses. 4. China—Politics and government—1976–2002—Congresses. I. Cao, Tian Yu, 1941– editor of compilation. II. Zhong, Xueping, 1956– editor of compilation. III. Liao, Kebin, 1961– editor of compilation. IV. Wang, Ban, 1957– editor of compilation. DS779.23.C868 2013 951.05’7—dc23 2013028343 This publication has been typeset in the multilingual “Brill” typeface. With over 5,100 characters covering Latin, IPA, Greek, and Cyrillic, this typeface is especially suitable for use in the humanities. For more information, please see www.brill.com/brill-typeface. ISSN 1875-9394 ISBN 978-90-04-26050-4 (hardback) ISBN 978-90-04-26051-1 (e-book) © Copyright 2014 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Global Oriental, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers and Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill NV provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. This book is printed on acid-free paper. CONTENTS Acknowledgments ......................................................................................... vii List of Contributors ....................................................................................... ix Introduction The Social and Cultural Roots of the Reforms ........ 1 Cao Tianyu and Zhong Xueping* PART ONE 1 Modernism, Modernity, and Individualism .................................... 21 Nan Fan* 2 Subaltern Literature: Theory and Practice (2004–2009) ........... 51 Li Yunlei* 3 The “Crime” of Lu Xun, Anti-Enlightenment, and Chinese Modernity: A Critique of Liu Xiaofeng’s “Christian Theology” .... 71 Lu Xinyu* 4 From Charting the Revolution to Charter 2008: Discourse, Liberalism, De-Politicization ............................................................... 95 Daniel F. Vukovich 5 The Transformation of Chinese University Culture: History, Present, and Path .................................................................................... 117 Liao Kebin* PART TWO 6 Academic Discourse, Official Ideology, and Institutional Metamorphoses: Reflections on Contemporary Chinese Legal Discourses and Reality .......................................................................... 153 Yu Xingzhong * Contributions marked with * were translated by Adrien Thieret. vi contents 7 The Flight to Rights: 1990s China and Beyond ............................ 167 Rebecca E. Karl 8 Human Rights, Revolutionary Legacy, and Politics in China ..... 185 Ban Wang 9 Democracy: Lyric Poem and Construction Blueprint ............... 215 Han Shaogong* PART THREE 10 Rereading “Commemorating the Three Hundredth Anniversary of the Fall of the Ming” .............................................. 229 Han Yuhai* 11 The Crisis of Socialism and Efforts to Overcome It ................... 241 Cai Xiang* 12 Post-Socialism Revisited: Reflections on “Socialism with Chinese Characteristics,” Its Past, Present, and Future ............ 263 Arif Dirlik 13 Reinterpreting “Capitalist Restoration” in China: Toward a Historical Critique of “Actually Existing Market Socialism” ..... 293 Yiching Wu 14 The Western Slump and Global Reorganization ........................ 315 Robert Wade 15 An Argument for “Participatory Socialism” .................................. 333 Lin Chun* Index .................................................................................................................. 355 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This is the second collection of essays based on the third conference of the “Culture and Social Transformations in Reform-Era China” project. Con- ceived in 2003, the project has been carried out by the editors of this vol- ume in collaboration with Lin Chun of The London School of Economics. The third conference was held in 2009 at Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. We would like to thank the Li Hensheng Center for Culture and Economics Studies of Zhejiang University and Mr. Xu Ziwang for support- ing the conference. Without their financial support, the conference would not have been held. We would also like to thank the conference organiz- ers and all the participants. Thanks also go to the translator and to the Confucius Institute at Stanford University for funding the translations. We are especially grateful to Dr. Qin Higley at Brill for her faith in the significance of this project, for her strong support during the translation process, and for her impeccable professionalism in working with the edi- tors of this volume. Cao Tianyu, Zhong Xueping, Liao Kebin, and Ban Wang April 2013 LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS Arif Dirlik Independent scholar, Eugene, OR Cai, Xiang Shanghai University Cao, Tianyu Boston University Han, Shaogong Writer, Hainan Province Han, Yuhai Peking University Rebecca E. Karl New York University Li, Yunlei Chinese Art Research Institute Liao, Kebin Peking University Lin, Chun London School of Economics Lu, Xinyu Fudan University Nan, Fan Academy of Social Sciences of Fujian Province Daniel F. Vukovich University of Hong Kong Robert Wade London School of Economics Wang, Ban Stanford University Wu, Yiching University of Toronto Yu, Xingzhong Cornell University Zhong, Xueping Tufts University INTRODUCTION THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ROOTS OF THE REFORMS Cao Tianyu and Zhong Xueping Translated by Adrian Thieret This is the second collection of essays associated with a multi-year project on “culture and social transformations in reform-era China.” We first offer a conceptual discussion of the social and cultural roots of the reforms, viewed against the backdrop of changes in social life and meaning pro- duction near the start of the reforms. Our purpose is to identify central links between culture and social transformations and to provide a better understanding of the nature of the reforms. We then highlight the major arguments put forward by the contributors who, in their own ways, engage with and explore a range of key issues related to the central argument of this book. I. Culture and Society Before we explore the social and cultural roots of the reforms, we need to first establish a set of concepts and explain our definitions of “social life,” “culture,” and “meaning.” In this collection, “social life” refers to all individual activities under the restrictions of institutional structures and cultural norms. These restrictions include external laws, rules, regulations, public opinion, and norms, as well as internal drives including ideals, beliefs, values, and hopes. Each specific social life is defined by a meaning structure that corresponds to the way an individual grasps those external constraints and acquires internal drive. Put differently, social life is the specific “meaning structure” constructed by active individuals. Secondly, “culture,” as the sum total of humanity’s awareness of and response to the present and anticipations of the future, is a community of meanings—an objectivized subjectivity transcending both the subjec- tive and the objective. There are three basic conceptions of culture. First, culture equates to humanity and is defined in terms of its contrast with nature, and thus is universal, absolute, and hierarchical. Next, culture orig- inates from specific conditions of life, and thus is pluralistic in nature. The relationship between different cultures can be conquering, subordinate, or assimilated. Finally, culture is understood in terms of social practice. 2 cao tianyu and zhong xueping Because every culture arises from particular life conditions, culture mani- fests a kind of particularity. Within this community of meanings, the common root of culture lies in “practice.” As a social activity that aims to assimilate nature, structure the environment, and organize society, the practice of culture is only possible under the