China since Tiananmen: From Deng Xiaoping to Hu Jintao

Description

In this edition of his path-breaking analysis of political and social change in China since the crackdown in Tiananmen Square in 1989, Joseph Fewsmith traces developments since 2001. These include the continuing reforms during the final years of Jiang Zemin's premiership and Hu Jintao's succession in 2002. Here the author also considers social trends and how Chinese citizens are starting to have a significant influence on government policies. As Fewsmith - a highly regarded political scientist and a seasoned China-watcher - observes, China is a very different place since Tiananmen Square. In the interim, it has emerged from isolation to become one of the most significant players on the world stage. This book explains the forces that have shaped China since Tiananmen.

Joseph Fewsmith is Professor in the Departments of International Relations and Political Science at Boston University.

""China Since Tiananmen is well written and carefully researched...Fewsmith writes clearly, a glossary of the key figures would have improved clarity...This is a valuable book that contributes significantly to our understanding of recent Chinese politics." History Review of New Books "China Since Tiananmen is an excellent book, a must-read for anyone attempting to understand the last decade's events in China and that nation's future trajectory. Focusing on political maneuvering among the top leadership and debates and discussions among politically oriented intellectuals, Fewsmith goes right to the heart of the matter and provides a coherent, credible narrative of deep political conflict." Andrew J. Nathan, Columbia University, co-editor of The Tiananmen Papers "Fewsmith's masterful evaluation of the intellectual trends in the 1990s and interaction between political and intellectual elites provides us much-needed and updated information on Chinese politics." Historian "Major changes have occurred in intellectual currents in China during the 1990s. Fewsmith elucidates these and integrates them with a detailed analysis of elite politics since Tiananmen. The result is an important book that enhances understanding of critical pieces of the puzzle that is China's future." Kenneth Lieberthal, University of Michigan, author of Governing China: From Revolution Through Reform "Most Westerners assume that post-Tiananmen China has a government intolerant of dissent and citizens concerned only with getting wealthy. Fewsmith, a master scholar of Chinese intellectuals, presents a different picture, suggesting that the Chinese political elite is divided over policy and power. In fact, China's intellectuals are a diverse lot, engaged in earnest debates over alternative visions for China's future." Lucian W. Pye, Foreign Affairs "Overall, the book is remarkably interesting to read. It is intriguing to read a book that just a little over 10 years ago would not have been available to readers in the West." Military Review "There is no better guide to the new pluralism in China than this excellent study." Brad Glosserman, Director of Research Pacific Forum CSIS, Honolulu '... it offers one of the clearest accounts written so far of the various academic trends in contemporary China.' Asian Affairs '... the book is clearly one of the finest published in recent years on Chinese politics. Fewsmith does a marvelous job in delineating the different strands of contemporary Chinese intellectual thoughts and in guiding us through the literati landscape of China.' Democratization 'China since Tiananmen is a most impressive narrative of china's political transition in the past decade ... By way of examining the past, China since Tiananmen enhances our understanding of the future.' New Zealand International Review "In the last 10 years some of the liveliest and most basic intellectual debates anywhere have been in China. Do all countries have to follow the U.S. path to democracy and liberal economics? Now that markets have taken off, what values beyond money making are worth preserving? China's debates are now informed by Western currents of post-modernism, neo-authoritarianism, nationalism, liberalism. Joe Fewsmith, extremely well-informed, does a superb job of capturing these lively debates." Ezra Vogel, Harvard University, author of Is Japan Still Number One