By: John A. Rapp

Paperback

Click on the Google Preview image above to read some pages of this book!

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.

"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

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; BIBLIOGRAPHY; INDEX.

ISBN: 9781441178800
ISBN-10: 1441178805
Series: Contemporary Anarchist Studies
Audience: Tertiary; University or College
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Number Of Pages: 240
Published: 11th October 2012
Dimensions (cm): 22.8 x 15.3  x 2.8
Weight (kg): 0.567