Political ideas in China in the 20th and 21st centuries 3800-IPCH25-K-OG

To acquaint students with the reception of Western political ideas present in China at the beginning of the 20th century, and also with the sources of dialectical materialism and Marxism in China. During classes we will analyse the transformation from Maoist period to the times of reforms and opening-up to the world (1978) and study the history of China in the 20th and 21st centuries, with particular emphasis on the political thoughts of successive leaders of the PRC. The aim is to Increase competences in the field of recognizing propaganda texts written in the PRC or outside the PRC for the purposes of internal and external propaganda.

1. Western social and political thought in China at the beginning of the 20th century.
2. Western philosophy at the beginning of the 20th century: reception and sinization
3. Political and intellectual heritage of Sun Yat-sen
4. Marxism in China: sources and interpretations
5. Formation of Mao’s thought and Maoism.
6. Ideological foundations of Maoism.
7. Deng Xiaoping's reform period: an attempt towards democratic change?
8. The concept of freedom in China: a comparative perspective.
9. Hu Jintao's presidency and Chinese global ambitions.
10. Liberalism, the red left, the new Confucianism and social democracy in China.
11. Neo-authoritarianism.
12. The idea of a harmonious society in China and human rights.
13. What is Xi Jinping's Thought? - changes from previous leaders.
14. Towards the community of common destiny - what does China want to offer to the world?

Type of course

general courses

Course coordinators

Patrycja Pendrakowska

Learning outcomes

After completing the course, the student has knowledge and defines the basic concepts, including materialism, Marxism, dialectics, liberalism, social democracy, human rights, sinization, neo-authoritarianism, red left, new Confucianism

The student:
a) analyzes and recognizes propaganda texts,
b) interprets selected philosophical and political texts written in the PRC in the 20th and 21st centuries.
c) can search for data sources

Assessment criteria

The learning outcomes will be verified in the form of an essay written during the classes. There will be three topics to choose from, related to the material discussed during the course. Acceptable number of absences from classes: one absence.

Bibliography

· Bottomore, T. (1991). A Dictionary of Marxist Thought. Oksford.
· Corinne H. Dale, Chinese Aesthetics and Literature, State University of New York Press, Albany 2004.
· Guo, S. (2010). A Chinese-English Dictionary of Chinese Philosophy. Szanghaj.
· Inwood, M. (1992). A Hegel Dictionary. Oksford.
· Leo Ou-Fan Lee, Literary trends I: The Quest for Modernity, 1895-1927, Merle
· Goldman, Leo Ou-Fan Lee (red.), An Intellectual History of Modern China, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2002.
· Littlejohn, R. (2014). Chinese Receptions of Western Philosophy. ASIANetwork Exchange, vol. 22, ss. 38- 48.
· Liu, P. (1990). makesi zhuyi yu dangdai cidian, 马克思主义与当代词典 (Słownik współczesnego marksizmu), Pekin.
· Lovell, J. (2019). Maoism: A Global History. Nowy Jork.
· Michael Dillon, Chiny. Historia współczesna, Książka i Wiedza, Warszawa 2012.
· Tse-Tung, M. (1965). Selected works of Mao Tse-Tung, vol. 1, Pekin.
· Wells, Audrey, 2001, The Political Thought of Sun Yat-sen
· Wu, X. (2019). makesizhuyi zhongguohua yu xinwenming leixing de kenengli,马克思主义中国化与新文明类型的可能性 (Sinizacja marksizmu i możliwość nowego rodzaju cywilizacji), vol. 7, Philosophical Research, ss. 3-10.
· Zhang, Y. (2011). “The Westward spread of Chinese philosophy” and Marxism, Front Phil Chin, 2011, 6(1): 114-133.

Additional information

Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes:

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 3800-IPCH25-K-OG in USOSweb