The Search For Modernity; Chinese Intellectuals and Cultural Discourse in the Post-Mao Era

by Min Lin and Maria Galikowski

• ISBN13: 9780312217587
• ISBN10: 0312217587
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 1999-08-20
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

Over the last twenty years, Chinese intellectuals have actively participated in the re-construction of a new multi-dimensional intellectual discourse, generated from the complex interaction between intellectual ideas and social context. Virtually every major modern Western current of thought has exerted an impact on the development of this discourse, from Enlightenment rationalism to postmodern theories. The Search for Modernity looks at the changing relationship between Chinese intellectuals and society, and examines the role of Chinese intellectuals in the turbulent process of modernization, comparing them to their Western counterparts. Intellectuals in China are facing a period of confusion and uncertainty during this time of transition. The Search for Modernity is an important attempt to understand the philosophical dilemmas and challenges facing Chinese intellectuals as they define the issues of modernity within a global context, their self-identity, and their role in a changing Chinese society.

Author Biography

Min Lin is Senior Lecturer and Chairperson in the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Waikato, New Zealand.

Maria Galikowski is a Lecturer in the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Waikato.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Preface	xi
Part One Introduction: Diversity, Open Systems and the Privatization of Beliefs
From the Reinterpretation of Humanistic Marxism to Pragmatic Neo-Conservatism: Chinese Intellectuals' Pluralistic Exploration of Modernity	3	(36)
Part Two Legitimation versus Transcendence: The Neo-Rationalists' Dilemma
Li Zehou and His Enlightenment Philosophy	39	(32)
Wang Meng's ``Hard Porridge'' and the Paradox of Reform in China	71	(18)
Part Three Narrating Contingence: The Avant-Garde and Cultural Iconoclasts
Bei Dao's ``13 Happiness Street'' and the Young Generation's Quest for the ``Unknowable''	89	(14)
Absurdity, Senselessness and Alienation: Xu Xing's Literary Reflections on the Contemporary Human Condition	103	(20)
Part Four Moral Crusaders and Spiritual Salvation
Liang Xiaosheng's Moral Critique of China's Modernization Process	123	(20)
Individual Salvation and Ultimate Concerns: Liu Xiaofeng's Pursuit of Transcendent Human Universality	143	(16)
Part Five Neo-Nationalism: Old Dreams and New Myths
From ``River Elegy'' to China Can Say No: China's Neo-Nationalism and the Search for a Collective National Identity	159	(26)
Part Six Conclusion: Hybridization, ``Double Consciousness'' and Postmodern Critiques
From the Center to the Periphery: The Development of Chinese Intellectuals' ``New Identity'' and ``Self-Awareness''	185	(30)
Notes	215	(38)
Bibliography	253	(12)
Index	265