Irony, Cynicism and the Chinese State
Douban
Hans Steinmüller / Susanne Brandtstädter
Sinossi
This volume explores irony and cynicism as part of the social life of local communities in China, and specifically in relation to the contemporary Chinese state. It collects ethnographies of irony and cynicism in social action, written by a group of anthropologists who specialise in China. They use the lenses of irony and cynicism - broadly defined to include resignation, resistance, humour, ambiguity and dialogue - to look anew at the social, political and moral contradictions faced by Chinese people. The various contributions are concerned with both the interpretation of intentions in everyday social action and discourse, and the broader theoretical consequences of such interpretations for an understanding of the Chinese state.
As a study of irony and cynicism in modern China and their implications on the social and political aspects of everyday life, this book will be of huge interest to students and scholars of social and cultural anthropology, Chinese culture and society, and Chinese politics.
contents
Introduction: Irony, Cynicism, and the Chinese State Hans Steinmüller
1. Moral Persons and Implicit Irony in Today’s China Stephan Feuchtwang
2. The Farmer, the Foreman and the Tinker: Irony and the Displacement of Meaning in Xiakou Village John Flower and Pamela Leonhard
3. Morality and Cynicism in a "Grey" World John Osburg
4. Chinese Migrant Workers’ Cynicism and the Politics of "Decent" Wage Jaesok Kim
5. The Ironies of "Political Agriculture": Bureaucratic Rationality and Moral Networks in Rural China Tan Tongxue
6. An Interactionist Perspective on Irony in the Street-level Bureaucracies of Beijing Judith Audin
7. The Rebel as Trickster and the Ironies of Resisting in Rural China Susanne Brandtstädter
8. Freedom in Irony and Dreams: Inhabiting the Realms of Ancestors and Opportunities in Southwest China Katherine Swancutt
9. Differentiating Cynicisms: Irony, Cynicism and New Media in Contemporary China Kevin Latham
10. Afterword: Ironic Reflections in a Cynical Age Michael Herzfeld