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The research presented in this book explores the formation of the middle class in contemporary urban China. Including case studies on middle-class professionals living in Beijing, this book analyses how social and economic changes to Chinese society create a middle-class lifestyle and new forms of distinction with a particular focus on the social construction of identity. Looking through the lens of individuals’ perception of life trajectories and ideological taxonomies generated within the framework of post-Maoist China, the book uncovers the role that the Chinese middle-class play in a state-sponsored discourse and where the distinctions identifying the middle-class lifestyle produce ine...
With globalization on the wane in a world fractured by growing great power competition, Hoo and McKinney argue that regionalism is likely to re-emerge as a focal area of significance and interest in the coming years. In Asia, how regionalism evolves is inescapably linked to China’s part in this story. Hoo, McKinney and their contributors will help readers better understand regionalism as it is approached, conceived and practiced by China. Looking past the conventional attention on the Belt-Road Initiative, the contributors examine the evolving perspectives on regionalism within China, the forms which this regionalism has taken and the implications for the strategic order in Asia. This incl...
This thoroughly revised edition has been updated to incorporate recent case studies, biographies, syntheses, journal articles and scholarly conferences that appeared in conjunction with the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War in 2014. The original version of this work, published by James Joll in 1984, quickly became established as the authoritative introduction to the subject of the war’s origins. Significantly expanded by Gordon Martel in 2007, this volume continues to offer a careful, clear, and comprehensive evaluation of the multitude of explanations advanced to explain the causes of the cataclysm of 1914, addressing each of the major interpretive approaches to the subject...
Jack Pease was at the heart of the British Liberal government from 1908 to 1915, holding the position of Chief Whip through two general elections, and a member of the Cabinet confronting domestic tumult, international tensions, and war. Pease was an unassuming participant in the deliberations of a unique gathering of political talent. His journals as President of the Board of Education from 1911 to the formation of the coalition ministry in 1915 are a closely observed, unvarnished record of what he saw and heard in Downing St and Westminster: constitutional and Home Rule crises, industrial conflict, electoral reform, women's suffrage controversies, struggles over budgets, naval estimates, an...
This book provides novel insights into how Chinese provinces have developed into major sources of China’s outbound investments. Focusing on the Yangtze River Delta region, the book compares two provinces with highest outbound investment in China, Jiangsu and Zhejiang and traces how locality-unique conditions contribute to the economic internationalization of Chinese provinces. Through its in-depth exploration of these case studies, the book reveals how the deficiency of enterprises’ investment capacity heavily depends on the unique political, economic, formal and informal institutions of each province. The findings presented in this book also offer conclusions relevant to the study of the internationalization process of emerging economies engaging in outward investment, such as India and Brazil. Featuring insights from interviews with scholars, managers and government officials this will be an invaluable resource for scholars, students and professionals interested in International Economics, International Political Economy, Chinese Studies and Asian Studies.
This book identifies and assesses the grand strategy of Chinese foreign policy following a flurry of diplomatic and investment activities in recent years. Through its adept application of the concept of grand strategy, it examines a series of questions concerning China’s objectives, targets, theaters, operations, coordination, and purpose (teleology). By answering these questions, the book uncovers the deeper motivations behind China’s diplomatic policy, revealing the ‘pulse’ of China’s grand strategy and its implications more broadly to the structure of the international system. Additionally, it offers an evaluation of the external influence exerted by the United States as the inc...
This book analyzes the phenomenally profitable “Red Tourism” industry in China, in which visitors make pilgrimages to sites of historical significance to the Communist Party of China and the Chinese Revolution. The book examines Red Tourism in connection with the transforming power relations between the state and the private, communication in the socialist past, and the current round of capitalization, against the backdrop of the world’s second largest economy. By re-evaluating the conventional notion of propaganda through the lens of neutral xuanchuan propaganda, the book presents a nuanced look at the social space of Red Tourism, revealing that propaganda should be conceived as a commodity, an industry, or even a media system similar to the news media. Drawn from combining fieldwork and cultural analysis spanning a decade, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of communication studies, tourism, and Chinese politics.
Chu explores the politics behind Taiwanese cities’ pursuit of international sporting events, and the Chinese authorities’ strategic measures in handling the relations with Taiwan since the 1990s. It is assumed that the Chinese authorities constantly oppose Taiwanese cities’ application for, and boycott their subsequent holding of, international sporting events. Doing so would obstruct Taiwan’s capacity to raise its visibility and influence in world society, and defend the One-China principle. In fact, the role of China in Taiwan’s pursuit of international sporting events is not invariably as a fatal obstructer, but sometimes a neutral bystander or even an enthusiastic supporter. Chu examines the reasons behind this phenomenon. Reviewing the 18 Taiwanese bidding attempts and four hosting projects, he argues that China’s inconsistent response is determined by the ups and downs of Cross-Strait political ties. As a result, this book provides insight into the nexus between sports and politics in the context of China-Taiwan rivalry. A must read for scholars, students, and other watchers of Cross-Strait relations.
This book examines the theme of human–animal interactions contextualized against the idea of the Anthropocene. Focused on China and its immediate Asian borderlands, this interdisciplinary collection provides a powerful and insightful analysis of the ecological challenges that mankind’s traditional activities have created. Through in-depth case studies, each focusing on a particular human–animal dynamic, the book contextualizes and advances the understanding of existing environmental and ecological problems faced by local communities in Asia. In particular, the book hopes to transcend the duality of the nature versus culture debate by locating animal-ecological problems in the behavior ...