Open access publication that seeks to facilitate critical discussion on topics related to Chinese politics and society. Also on
@madeinchinajournal
.bsky.social.
The new issue of MIC is out! In it, we focus on what remains of cultural differences at the end of the dream of communist pluralism and ethnic autonomy and on how Blackness has been imagined, defined, or practiced in Chinese history. Download for free at
Yesterday, prompted by a deadly fire in a locked-down high-rise building in Urumqi, Xinjiang, protests against Covid-19 pandemic restrictions erupted across China. To put these events into context, here is a thread of articles on different aspects of the pandemic in China. 1/
'Proletarian China', our new book edited by
@FangYiren
and
@Bartleby
, is out! It features a mosaic of perspectives on what being a worker meant, and how it was experienced, in China over the past century. Buy it from
@VersoBooks
or download it FOR FREE at
|| NEW BOOK || 'Xinjiang Year Zero', edited by Darren Byler, Ivan Franceschini, and Nicholas Loubere is now available for free download from
@ANU_Press
. The volume aims to document and analyse what is happening in Xinjiang, as well as to propose action.
With this gallery, we bring you the faces and stories of some committed female activists who are currently detained in China because of their activism, along with some of those young women who became ‘accidental symbols of defiance’ in the A4 movement. 1/
We are very happy to find this unabridged Chinese translation of our book 'Proletarian China' available for free download. Kudos to the anonymous translators for this monumental undertaking!
In recent years, pro-PRC positions within the so-called left have become increasingly visible. In this essay
@lanzafab
distinguishes the current leftist fascinations with Chinese authoritarian capitalism from the Global Maoism of the long 1960s.
Kashmir and Xinjiang share more than a border: both regions have witnessed political power as exercised by India and China, including systematic human rights violations in the name of curbing separatism and terrorism. An essay by
@NitashaKaul
.
In this essay,
@chenchenzh
explores how the theories, plot, and characters of Liu Cixin's Three-Body Problem series are employed in Chinese digital discourse to illustrate visions of authoritarian, conservative, and misogynistic politics.
We are happy to announce the release of 'Global China as Method' by
@FangYiren
and
@NDLoubere
, with
@CambridgeUP
. The book is available in paperback and Open Access as a free PDF download. A brief 🧵 on the aims and scope of the publication. 1/
One decade ago, Bo Xilai’s ‘Chongqing Model’ was making headlines. But what was the model about? What did it say about the broader picture of contemporary Chinese politics? And what are its afterlives under Xi Jinping? An essay by Zhang Yueran.
After Xinjiang and Tibet, a new model of 'bilingual education' has now been unveiled in Inner Mongolia, sparking widespread protests. In this explainer, Christopher Atwood examines the new policy and the reasons why there is so much opposition to it.
Now that '3 Body Problem' is out on Netflix, reread
@chenchenzh
's essay on how the theories, plot, and characters of the original books are used in Chinese digital discourse to illustrate visions of authoritarian, conservative, and misogynistic politics.
With the year coming to an end, we bring to you the faces and stories of some of those labour and feminist activists currently under detention without trial in China. Lest we forget. Read their profiles at 1/
Now that we have reached the very end of this year, we turn back to remember some of those Chinese activists who are currently detained for their social activism. 1/
As the libertarian right holds up the recent demonstrations in China as vindication of their own stance against any biopolitical state intervention, we find ourselves entrapped in false binaries that misread the protests, write
@Bartleby
and
@NDLoubere
.
In 2017-18, the Chinese authorities destroyed or desecrated three of the most revered Uyghur sacred sites. In this essay
@RianThum
documents this destruction and places it in the wider context of state efforts to transform the Uyghur built environment.
The new issue of MIC is out! In it, we consider the extent to which Xi’s ecological civilisation can be understood as Prometheanism and the price China is paying to transition towards a heavily engineered ‘sustainable’ market utopia. Download FOR FREE at .
On 11/24 an electrical fire engulfed the upper stories of an apartment building in an Uyghur majority neighbourhood in Ürümchi. Some Uyghur residents had been taken to internment camps in 2017; the remaining ones were under lockdown for over 90 days. 1/
To provide some context for the events unfolding in these days in Inner Mongolia, here is an essay by Urdayn Bulag that traces the evolution of the concept of ‘nationality’ in modern China. From our volume ‘Afterlives of Chinese Communism’.
The new issue of the Made in China Journal is out! This time with a double focus on the lived experiences of Chinese workers abroad and on the Shenzhen–Hong Kong borderlands. Download for free or buy a copy at
On the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, download for free 'Afterlives of Chinese Communism' to read about some key concepts in the language of the CCP and discover how the intellectual legacies of the Mao era shape Chinese politics today.
The new issue of the Made in China Journal is out! Amid the ongoing crackdown in Hong Kong, we take stock of the aftermath of the 2019 movement and reflect on the changes that are taking place in the city’s political and civil society. Free download at:
The new issue of the Made in China Journal is out! In the belief that examining historical precedents can shed light on the practices of today, this time the focus is on the 'archaeologies' of the Belt and Road Initiative. Download for free or buy at:
In this essay, Juan Qian explores the implications of historical disputes about the Qing Dynasty for China’s national identity and territorial claims, particularly given the Chinese government's efforts of to promote a unified ‘Chinese national community’.
Over the years we have published over 300 essays in the
@MIC_Journal
. We now draw from this trove of material to offer some basic syllabi on topics related to Chinese politics and society, beginning with a couple on labour and development. All OPEN ACCESS.
To celebrate International Women’s Day, here is a thread with a series of article from our archives that offer insight into the plight and resistance of women in China. We start with three essays that reflect on the policies of the Chinese government. /1
In an academic landscape dominated by commercial publishers that put up paywalls unaffordable to most, we at the Made in China Journal pride ourselves on being entirely open access. Here are a few more openly accessible projects that came to fruition this year. 1/
We are happy to announce the Made in China Journal's first movie production! In 'Boramey: Ghosts in the Factory',
@caracina
and
@FangYiren
explore the phenomenon of spirit possession and mass fainting in garment factories in Cambodia. Discover more at 1/
Some good news to start the new year: Chen Weixiang, known to friends as Xiangzi, an advocate for migrant worker rights, has been released. He had been detained since 17 December.
A severe disease has infected the China debate: Whataboutism. At the same time, the infection has produced a powerful immune response that dismisses any parallels or linkages between dynamics in China and elsewhere. An op-ed by
@FangYiren
and
@NDLoubere
.
'It has become increasingly apparent that one cannot conduct research or write on China today without touching on fundamental questions of moral culpability.' A powerful op-ed by
@kevincarrico
forthcoming in the next issue of Made in China.
The revelation that Trump encouraged Xi to continue building concentration camps in Xinjiang should come as no surprise. Below are some readings on the linkages between the global war on terror, the surveillance tech industry and China's carceral state. 1/
On 16 February 2020, the activist Li Qiaochu went missing. She would be held incommunicado for four months, held on suspicion of ‘inciting subversion of state power’, a crime punishable by the death penalty. In this essay, she recounts her ordeal.
The new issue of the Made in China Journal is out! This time we revisit the development of China’s civil society over the past decades and discuss future possibilities. Download for free or buy at:
In June, we will be releasing 'Proletarian China: A Century of Chinese Labour', co-edited by Ivan Franceschini (
@FangYiren
) and Christian Sorace (
@Bartleby
) for
@VersoBooks
, a cavalcade through the history of Chinese labour since the late 19th century. 2/
We are happy to introduce the Global China Lab, a new nonprofit organisation through which we will continue to spread open knowledge about China. GCL brings together our initiatives, including
@MIC_Journal
,
@GlobalChinaMap
, the book series, and the movies.
Initially it seemed that Covid-19 might turn out to be China's ‘Chernobyl moment’. However, as in the past, the Chinese authorities have utilised a number of strategies to suppress dissent and overcome the trust crisis. An op-ed by
@chenchenzh
In case you missed her talk, here’s
@taomo_zhou
’s essay from our forthcoming issue. In it, she tells the story of China’s transition from Maoism to capitalist reforms through the lens of the adventurous life of one ship.
Although popular accounts of China in Africa present it as an exciting process of furious movement and violent transformation, the daily life of Chinese workers abroad is often characterised by monotony and boredom. An essay by Cheryl Mei-ting Schmitz.
Since the 1980s, Chinese officials have been presenting a rosy image of highspeed railway growth under the label of ‘Chinese Speed’. In this essay, Zhongxian Xiao shows how the term has been redefined over the years through a process of public contestation.
A glimpse of things to come in 2022. We have three new Open Access books forthcoming. The first, out in January with
@ANU_Press
, is 'Xinjiang Year Zero', edited by Darren Byler (
@dtbyler
), Ivan Franceschini (
@FangYiren
), and Nicholas Loubere (
@NDLoubere
).1/
Now that 2020 is coming to a close, it is time to look back on what was a tough year. Of the over 70 essays, interviews, and op-eds that we published over the past twelve months, these were the most widely read.
In this new essay,
@Yawen0903
examines creative expressions of solidarity from mainland China to recent global social movements on Ukraine and Gaza, offering insights into legacies of radical internationalism and anticolonial imagination in China today.
While Uyghurs around the world are happy that the Chinese people are standing up to the state, it is important to remember that Turkic Muslims are not able to protest in the same ways. That for them, the possibility of public protest within China has been largely eliminated. 6/
Our new book Afterlives of Chinese Communism is now out! You can buy a paperback copy through
@VersoBooks
or download it for free from
@ANU_Press
. Check it out here:
Recent events in Inner Mongolia have raised concerns about the assimilatory nature of China’s ‘second-generation ethnic policies'. In this op-ed,
@GJosephRoche
and
@jleibold
argue that the homogenising future they threaten is already here.
How is it to be a stateless Uyghur in Turkey? Through ethnographic interviews, in this essay
@Sadia_36
and
@dtbyler
underscore the plight and, paradoxically, the power of this community in relation to threats received by their families in China and Turkey.
On the one hand, the Chinese authorities seem to support Palestinian struggles; at the same time, however, Chinese investment in Israeli infrastructure projects and colonial policing means that they cannot be too vocal, write
@dtbyler
and
@karissaketter
.
An op-ed by
@Bartleby
on the current policy changes in Inner Mongolia and how they contradict both Lenin’s views and the political vision of the early Mao years enshrined in China’s constitution, moving instead toward a US-inspired 'multiculturalism'.
Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, there has been a global rise in Sinophobia. In response, some commentators have dismissed the significance of this phenomenon. In this op-ed,
@GJosephRoche
asks who this denialism harms and helps, and how.
The new issue of the Made in China Journal is out! More than 170 pages of essays on Chinese society, with a special section on detention. Check it out FOR FREE at
In this essay that takes the tone of a manifesto, Marine Brossard considers the tangping attitude as a political subject, praising its subversive potential to help us face our contemporary global crises.
The new issue of
@MIC_Journal
is out! Discover how ghosts, fortune-tellers, shamans, sorcerers, zombies, corpse brides, and aliens assist people or sometimes play outright subversive roles, undermining the rules that underpin contemporary society.
Instead, for a day, Uyghurs are made to stand for all Chinese. And the Han settler vanguard who did protest in Ürümchi have come to stand as the ‘real’ victims. This erasure of colonial structures of violence, is something that MIC has actively tried to push back against. 5/
The new issue of MIC is out! In it, we feature a focus on pandemic governance and the subjective experiences of living through lockdowns and quarantines in China, a forum on Chinese civil society, and assorted essays and conversations. Download FOR FREE at
On the day in which Xianzi’s
#MeToo
landmark case suffers a setback in court, here is an essay where she discusses the predicament in which victims of sexual harassment and the activists who support them find themselves in in China.
Professor Wang Zheng has been a leading voice of Chinese feminism since the late 1980s. In this essay, she offers her reflections on political control and self-censorship in China's feminist movement over the past three decades.
We are happy to announce that the 'Made in China Yearbook 2018: Dog Days' is finally out! This book includes 50 original essays on labour, civil society, and human rights in China and beyond. Download it FOR FREE at
In a manner that was similar to the forgotten Kurdish origins of recent protests in Iran, the ethnicity of the victims and their differential experience of state violence was largely forgotten. /4
For two decades, a rhetoric of terrorism has been used to justify the control and mass internment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. In this conversation with
@dtbyler
,
@ReasonablyRagin
draws from his new book to examine the effects on Han and Uyghur self-perception.
He is from Hong Kong, she is a Chinese-American. As strangers, they found themselves on opposite sides of the barriers at a pro-Hong Kong protest. Here they share the story of how they became friends and their hopes for forging deeper forms of solidarity.
It's often said that Mainland Chinese citizens have been ‘brainwashed’ into fervent nationalism, or HK protesters have been ‘brainwashed’ by Western media or governments. But where does the idea of 'brainwashing' come from? An essay by
@Ryan_J_Mitchell
The history of China’s international contracting industry mirrors the country’s shifting role in the global economy, from primarily a labour exporter to a capital & technology exporter, and now an aspiring technical standard setter, writes
@StellaHongZhang
.
We are happy to share some more good news: independent journalist and advocate for women’s rights Huang Xueqin has been released. She had been detained since October 2019 for ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’.
As both presidential candidates blame China for the unravelling of the United States and anti-China hysteria goes global, challenging the dominant Sinophobic discourse becomes more important than ever. Join a discussion on how this can be achieved.
In this essay, Luke Hein sketches scenes from his time teaching a general interest class about China in Alabama State correctional facilities and argues that US prisons represent an underserved but fertile site for China Studies.
In Beijing from Below (2020), Harriet Evans captures the last gasps of subaltern life in one of Beijing’s poorest neighbourhoods. In this conversation with Andrea Enrico Pia, she reflects on what her book has to say about poverty, precarity, and much more.
The new issue of Made in China is out! More than one hundred pages of essays on Chinese labour and civil society (and more), with a special section on media, power, and voice in China. Check it out at
What does Primo Levi have to tell us about life in reeducation camps in Xinjiang today? What role does labour play in these facilities? What is terror capitalism and how does it relate to other frontiers of global capitalism? A conversation with
@dtbyler
.
|| NEW JOURNAL || We are happy to announce the release of the inaugural issue of Global China Pulse, our new sister publication focusing on China’s international engagements and linked to
@globalchinamap
. Download for free at this link and share widely:
In this essay,
@zifeng_liu
interrogates the gendered and sexualised terms under which Mabel Robinson Williams, an African American radical woman, appears in Chinese archives, recovering her as a key figure in the history of Black internationalism in China.
Lockdown sound diaries serve as defiant gestures in uncertain times, making fun out of bitterness. In this essay, Jing Wang (
@JINGWAN01253680
) examines podcasts released during the Shanghai lockdown, highlighting women’s voices and discussions about food.
In 'Dreadful Desires', Charlie Yi Zhang explores how the Chinese state mobilises love to regulate the affective economy and life choices of its population, showing how love can be weaponised to support oppressive systems. A conversation with
@sharonyamsy
.
Why does the CCP seem to be addressing workers’ grievances while simultaneously increasing repression? This and other important questions are at the core of
@Manfred_E
's new book, ‘Worker and Change in China’, out this week with
@CambridgeUP
.
The new issue of Made in China is out! More than one hundred pages of essays on Chinese labour and civil society (and more), with a special section on rural China. Check it out at:
On 12/5, a pre-trial meeting will be held for feminist and labour activist Li Qiaochu, detained since February 2021. From our archives, here is her account of the harrowing months she was detained on suspicion of inciting subversion of state power in 2020.
The embrace of Trumpism by many Chinese liberal/prodemocracy intellectuals, dissidents, and activists is puzzling, considering the ideals these individuals advocate. In this conversation
@lingli_vienna
and
@tengbiao
dissect this phenomenon.
There is still time to register for this seminar in which
@taomo_zhou
will retell the story of China's transition from Maoism to capitalist reforms through the lens of the adventurous story of one ship. It is tomorrow (12 August), don't miss it!
As the spooky season returns, to help us all get into the Halloween spirit, here is a thread with a series of essays about ghosts, zombies, aliens, and other assorted monsters in Asian contexts that we have published over the years. 1/
One year ago, Chinese activist Li Qiaochu was arrested. Charged with ‘inciting subversion of state power’, to this day she remains detained as her mental state steadily declines. Here you can read her testimony about her previous experience of detention.
In 2017, migrant worker Fan Yusu became an overnight sensation in China after publishing her memoir online. While neglected in mainstream literary studies, Federico Picerni argues that her artistic production is an exemplar of working-class literature.
The new Made in China Yearbook is out with more than forty essays on the latest trends in Chinese labour, civil society, and rights! Download it for FOR FREE at Spread the word!
With this booklet edited by Olivier Krischer and Luigi Tomba, we are happy to kick off a new Made in China Notebooks series. Shades of Green offers short reflections from young scholars on emerging forms of environmentalism in China.
In collaboration with
@VersoBooks
and
@ANU_Press
,
@MIC_Journal
presents 'Afterlives of Chinese Communism'—a collection of essays discussing the history and contemporary relevance of key concepts from the Mao era. Check out the Table of Contents here:
What does a Chinese political campaign from the 1960s have to tell us about the Belt and Road Initiative of today? In this conversation with Matthew Galway,
@cfmeyskens
discusses some uncanny similarities between the Third Front campaign and the BRI.
In this account of Shenzhen’s response to the Omicron outbreak, Mary Ann O'Donnell examines how technocratic methods and ideologies of trust in the Party-State were deployed to control the outbreak, and considers the longer-term ideological consequences.
We are proud to announce the People’s Map of Global China, a new project stemming from the
@MIC_Journal
! Through this collaborative platform, we seek to keep track of Global China's various facets and articulate local voices often marginalised by political and business elites.
And we are now live! The People’s Map of Global China is the result of a collaboration between academics, NGOs, journalists, trade unions, and the public at large to explore various dimensions of Global China in their localities. 1/
The new issue of Made in China is out! More than one hundred pages of essays on Chinese labour and civil society (and more), with a special section on the Chinese labour movement under Xi. Check it out at
Now that we are nearing the year’s end, it’s time to share our most widely read articles for 2021. No. 10 is Ivan Franceschini’s (
@FangYiren
) review essay on the sorry state of neoliberal academia. 1/
This anonymous post details the abuse experienced by Marxist student activists at Peking University over the past few months. The account raises serious moral issues for those collaborating with Chinese academic institutions that suppress student activism.
The new issue of the Made in China Journal is out! A century ago, Vladimir Mayakovsky wrote: 'Art must not be concentrated in dead shrines called museums.’ In this spirit, this issue examines the artwork of ordinary life and labour. Download it for free at
From its birth in the late 1970s, Chinese UFOlogy has passed through a series of transformations that are illuminating with respect to certain key interpretive problems around the nature and trajectories of Chinese socialism. An essay by Malcolm Thompson.
In 'Imperial Gateway', released Open Access today,
@SeijiShirane
offers a sophisticated analysis of the roles that different sets of people with ties to Taiwan played in the rise and fall of the Japanese Empire. Read this conversation with
@jwassers
. 1/2
The Three-Child Policy has provoked anxiety among many educated young Chinese. Here, Susan Greenhalgh argues that the policy should be seen as part of a broader project aimed at bringing Chinese society, and especially women, under greater Party control.
Rahile Dawut has received a life sentence. A former student writes: 'You know she is alive, but you don’t know where she is. More precisely, you can’t even question it. It creates a huge feeling of grief inside, but you have no choice but to live with it.’
In August, several US officials visited Taiwan. Among them, Sen. Marsha Blackburn made the news for praising Chiang Kai-shek and in so doing wading into complex historical debates. However, that was not the only issue with these visits, writes
@brianhioe
.
To effectively confront the Chinese authorities over the horrors in Xinjiang, it is necessary to examine how China’s policies share some philosophical underpinnings with the War on Terror in the West. A powerful essay by
@Dave_Brophy
.