Overview
The growth of markets and consumerism in China's post-Mao era of political and economic reform is a story familiar to many. By contrast, the Mao period (1949-1976)-rightly framed as a time of scarcity-initially appears to have had little material culture to speak of. Yet people attributed great meaning to materials and objects often precisely because they were rare and difficult to obtain. This first volume devoted to the material history of the period explores the paradox of material culture under Chinese Communist Party rule and illustrates how central materiality was to individual and collective desire, social and economic construction of the country, and projections of an imminent socialist utopia within reach of every man and woman, if only they worked hard enough. Bringing together scholars of Chinese art, cinema, culture, performance, and more, this volume shares groundbreaking research on the objects and practices of everyday life in Mao's China, from bamboo and bricks to dance and film. With engaging narratives and probing analysis, the contributors make a place for China's experience in the history of global material culture and the study of socialist modernity.
Full Product Details
Author: Jennifer Altehenger ,
Denise Y. Ho
Publisher: University of Washington Press
Imprint: University of Washington Press
Weight: 0.396kg
ISBN: 9780295750859
ISBN 10: 0295750855
Pages: 264
Publication Date: 08 December 2022
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
In addition to the variety of subjects covered, the richness of the book – and the pleasure derived from reading it – lies in the wide range of sources used: Party publications, popular media, general magazines, professional journals, comic books, technical manuals, as well as guidebooks, texts written by intellectuals, propaganda posters, films or customs regulations. The reader travels from rural to urban China, from construction sites to restaurant kitchens, from cinemas to car factories. This book confirms how important it is for historical research to draw on a wide variety of sources to capture the depth of everyday life. * China Quarterly *
"""In addition to the variety of subjects covered, the richness of the book – and the pleasure derived from reading it – lies in the wide range of sources used: Party publications, popular media, general magazines, professional journals, comic books, technical manuals, as well as guidebooks, texts written by intellectuals, propaganda posters, films or customs regulations. The reader travels from rural to urban China, from construction sites to restaurant kitchens, from cinemas to car factories. This book confirms how important it is for historical research to draw on a wide variety of sources to capture the depth of everyday life."" * China Quarterly * ""The edited volume greatly enriches our understanding of PRC history by shifting our attention away from textual sources and oral histories to the stories objects and materials tell us about the times they shaped and about the people who handled them."" * Journal of Chinese History *"
Author Information
Jennifer Altehenger is associate professor of Chinese history and Jessica Rawson Fellow in Modern Asian History at the University of Oxford and Merton College. She is author of Legal Lessons: Popularizing Laws in the People’s Republic of China, 1949–1989. Denise Y. Ho is associate professor of history at Yale University. She is author of Curating Revolution: Politics on Display in Mao’s China.
