Save

Revolutionary China and Its Late-Capitalist Fate

A Review of Au Loong Yu, China’s Rise: Strength and Fragility, and Other Recent Writings on China

In: Historical Materialism
Author:
Christopher Connery University of California Santa Cruz cconnery@ucsc.edu

Search for other papers by Christopher Connery in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
Download Citation Get Permissions

Access options

Get access to the full article by using one of the access options below.

Institutional Login

Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials

Login via Institution

Purchase

Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):

$40.00

This essay examines several works that contribute to an understanding of the nature of contemporary Chinese capitalism and its historical development. Core issues include the character of the bureaucracy, which has had a distinctive relationship to capital formation, and the character of the working class. The periodisation of Chinese capitalism and the relation between the pre- and post-reform periods are pressing political and analytical concerns. This essay suggests the advantages of a clearer focus on the dynamics of depoliticisation in understanding the transition. The contemporary left-intelligentsia in China has in large part pinned its hopes on achieving some form of ideological hegemony within the ccp, maintaining that it still operates within its revolutionary tradition. This represents a questionable strategic gamble. Acknowledging the important contributions made by Au’s book and other recent characterisations of China’s political economy from the left, this essay suggests that there remains much to be done.

Content Metrics

All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 538 57 3
Full Text Views 254 5 0
PDF Views & Downloads 152 10 0