Overview

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. This volume in the Contemporary Anarchist Studies series focuses on anti-statist critiques in ancient and modern China and demonstrates that China does not have an unchallenged authoritarian political culture. Treating anarchism as a critique of centralized state power, the work first examines radical Daoist thought from the 4th century BCE to the 9th century CE and compares Daoist philosophers and poets to Western anarchist and utopian thinkers. This is followed by a survey of anarchist themes in dissident thought in the People's Republic of China from 1949 to the present. A concluding chapter discusses how Daoist anarchism can be applied to any anarchist-inspired radical critique today. This work not only challenges the usual ideas of the scope and nature of dissent in China, it also provides a unique comparison of ancient Chinese Daoist anarchism to Western anarchist. Featuring previously untranslated texts, such as the 9th century Buddhist anarchist tract, the Wunengzi, and essays from the PRC press, it will be an essential resource to anyone studying anarchism, Chinese political thought, political dissent, and political history.

Full Product Details

Author:   Professor John A. Rapp
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Imprint:   Bloomsbury Continuum
Dimensions:   Width: 15.30cm , Height: 2.30cm , Length: 22.80cm
Weight:   0.413kg
ISBN:  

9781441178800

ISBN 10:   1441178805
Pages:   240
Publication Date:   11 October 2012
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Language:   English

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments PRELUDE PART ONE: DAOISM Chapter 1: Daoism and Anarchism Chapter 2: Daoism and Utopianism Chapter 3: Daoism as Utopian or Accommodationist: The Guodian Challenge to Daoist Anarchism Chapter 4: Daoism as Anarchism or Nihilism: The Buddhist-influenced Thought of Wu Nengzi INTERLUDE: Chapter 5: The 20th Century Chinese Anarchist Movement PART TWO: ANARCHISM Chapter 6: Maoism and Anarchism Chapter 7: Denunciations of Anarchism in the PRC Chapter 8: Neo-Anarchist Critiques of Marxism in the PRC, Part 1: Extra Party Dissidents Chapter 9: Neo-Anarchist Critiques of Marxism in the PRC, Part 2: Inner Party Democrats POSTLUDE: Lessons of Daoist Anarchism APPENDICES: Works of Daoist Anarchism 1: Zhuangzi, Chapter Nine, Horses' Hoofs 2: Ruan Ji, Biography of Master Great Man 3: Bao Jingyan, untitled tract 4: Tao Qian, Peach Blossom Spring 5: The Wunengzi (Master of No Abilities) BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX

Reviews

John Rapp is a world class scholar who uniquely is able to synthesize in a vivid and illuminating way insights from Chinese Daoism which address both the general literature on anarchism and the political realities of China, ancient and contemporary. This is magnificent and insightful scholarship. - Edward Friedman, Professor of Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Author Information

John A. Rapp is Professor of Political Science at Beloit College, USA where he founded the Asian Studies program and served as chair of the Political Science department. His teaching interests include Chinese politics, Communist and post-Communist systems, comparative democracies, and Chinese and comparative political thought. He coauthored Autocracy and China's Rebel Founding Emperors (with Anita Andrew) and has published in many journals, including Anarchist Studies and the Journal of Comparative Asian Development.

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