Mao Cult: Rhetoric and Ritual in China's Cultural Revolution

Author:   Daniel Leese (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munchen)
Publisher:   Cambridge University Press
ISBN:  

9780511984754


Publication Date:   07 October 2011
Format:   Undefined
Availability:   In stock   Availability explained
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Mao Cult: Rhetoric and Ritual in China's Cultural Revolution


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Overview

Although many books have explored Mao's posthumous legacy, none has scrutinized the massive worship that was fostered around him during the Cultural Revolution. This book is the first to do so. By analyzing secret archival documents, Daniel Leese traces the history of the cult within the Communist Party and at the grassroots level. The party leadership's original intention was to develop a prominent brand symbol, which would compete with the nationalists' elevation of Chiang Kai-shek. However, they did not anticipate that Mao would use this symbolic power to mobilize Chinese youth to rebel against party bureaucracy itself. The result was anarchy and when the army was called in it relied on mandatory rituals of worship such as daily reading of the Little Red Book to restore order. Such fascinating detail sheds light not only on the personality cult of Mao, but also on hero-worship in other traditions.

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Author:   Daniel Leese (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munchen)
Publisher:   Cambridge University Press
Imprint:   Cambridge University Press (Virtual Publishing)
ISBN:  

9780511984754


ISBN 10:   0511984758
Publication Date:   07 October 2011
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Undefined
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock   Availability explained
We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately.

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'Leese charts the rise of Mao's cult in clear stages, with an excellent eye for its intricacies.' The Times Literary Supplement


Author Information

Daniel Leese is Assistant Professor at the Institute of Chinese Studies at Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich. He is the editor of Brill's Encyclopedia of China (2008).

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