Adrian Krawczyk, M.A.
Topic
Marxist Theories of Ideology in China
Abstract
In light of the ongoing significance of Marxism in China, my PhD project researches the contemporary usage of one of the key concepts of Marxist theory: ideology. Applying new theoretical and methodical approaches from the field of global intellectual history, I trace the history of the concept in China. Skeptical of the assumptions of Western political scientists who deal with “ideology in China”, my project aims at clarifying the complex relations of theories of ideology of Western provenience, Chinese party orthodoxy and academic research in reform era China. While one can draw on numerous studies of the “shifting ideology” of CCP leaders, not a single study deals with critical theories of ideology of Chinese origin. Therefore, I will mainly focus on the work of influential contemporary scholars of ideology. Which aspects of theories of ideology by Western scholars are valued by their Chinese counterparts? How do the latter relate –if at all – their research to political practice? Do they link the analysis of Western theories of ideology to the development of Chinese socialism and society in general? And how do current politico-economic, social and cultural circumstances in China inform the respective theories? In dealing with these questions, my project explores the role of ideology in China and its various interpretations, highlighting the further development of Marxist theory and its relation to political, social, and cultural practices. Thus, my project hopefully helps to better understand notions of socialism, revolution and ideology, all of which are highly contested in China today.
Research interests
- Intellectual History of Modern China
- Marxism in China
- Theories of Ideology
- Historiography and Memory of Republican China
Biography
After MA studies in Sinology and History at Leipzig University I worked at the department of Sinology of the Asia Orient Institute at Zurich University from 2013 until 2016 where I taught courses on the modern political and intellectual history of China. I took extended research stays in Shanghai in 2010 and Kunming in 2015.
Teaching Experience
2013 Introduction to the Study of Sinology
2014 Human Rights Discourses in 20th Century China
2014 China in the 2nd World War: Politics of Memory
2015 Biography and History in 20th Century China
2016 Debating “Republican Fever” in China and Taiwan
Presentations
09-12-2017: “Theories of Ideology in China”. Sino-European Entanglements in the Age of Globalization. Young Researchers`Workshop, Fudan University, Shanghai.
04-14-2016: “Discourses on Republican China and Biographies of Chinese Military Leaders: The Case of Bai Chongxi and the Guangxi Clique.” Loyalty and Betrayal in Chinese Military History. Annual Conference of the Chinese Military History Society, Ottawa.
04-09-2016: “Bai Xianyong`s `My Father and the Republic`: Biographies of Chinese Military Leaders and the Discourse of History in China.” Biography Again: A New Look at History`s Oldest Discipline. Department of History, State University of New York at Fredonia.
Contact
adrian.krawczyk@studium.uni-hamburg.de