Module description
With the communist takeover in 1949, China entered a new era, an era marked by the enormous political and social dynamics from below, the continuous proletarian revolution, the communes, the redistributed land, the enthusiasm, excitement and emotion, as much as by the endless class struggles, the denunciations, the lost properties, the hunger, angst, and violence – but most importantly, China entered an era marked by Mao Zedong, the omnipresent Mao as the father, the leader, and the helmsman. From the Western perspective and against the backdrop of the Cold War, it seems that China veered away from the rational course of modernisation and embarked on an inexplicably extraordinary or mysterious era of “madness”, which lasted until Mao’s death in 1976. But the question is, how do we, as historians, make sense of this era? Is it useful to regard the Maoist era only as an era of departures, ruptures, and “madness”? And more importantly, is it enough to only focus on the Communist Party and on Mao in explaining the departures, ruptures and “madness”? This module invites you to reappraise the history and historiography of Maoist China by focusing on not only change but also continuity across the watershed year of 1949, and by understanding not only Mao but also the “marginalised”.
Provisional teaching plan
Week 1: What is PRC history: timelines and periodisation
Week 2: The state and the grassroots society
Week 3: The state and the intelligentsia
Week 4: The state and the peasantry
Week 5: The state and women
Week 6: Internationalisation and global Maoism
Week 7: Science and public health
Week 8: Propaganda and public opinion
Week 9: Frontiers and ethnic minorities
Week 10: Maoist China, the memory, and the legacy
Assessment details
1 x 3,500-word essay
Teaching pattern
10 x 2-hour seminars (weekly)