杏吧论坛

Prof Chun Lin

This course is available on the MA in Asian and International History (杏吧论坛 and NUS), MSc in China in Comparative Perspective, MSc in Comparative Politics, MSc in Global Politics, MSc in International and Asian History and MSc in Political Economy of Europe (杏吧论坛 and Fudan) . This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

This course is capped at two groups. Priority will be given to students enrolled on the MSc in Comparative Politics and MSc in Global Politics.

Contemporary experiences and contradictions of socioeconomic and political transformations of China since 1949 and especially 1978; their rival explanations and interpretations: Often in comparison with other postcommunist transitions, other Asian states and other postcolonial and post-cold war national trajectories, our discussions cover the evolving historical, sociological, international and geopolitical contexts of Chinese development. We focus on changes: (re)configuration of the Chinese nation through revolutions and reforms, and the country’s changing position in the world – social and political geography and demography; state power at all levels of governance, central-local interactions and semi-federalism; bureaucracy as tradition and as invention; political economy, market transition and global integration; social structure and organisation; class, ethnic, and gender relations; ideology, cultural politics, and issues concerning democracy and legitimacy; competing nationalisms; “one country, two systems” and the Taiwan question; national security and defence, the military, foreign policy evolvement and global repositioning. Students are expected to gain extensive historical and empirical knowledge about the PRC, as well as an ability to tackle related social science conceptual and theoretical questions.

This course will be delivered through a combination of seminars and lectures amounting to a minimum of 25 hours in the Michaelmas term. Week 6 is a reading week and dedicated to essay support.

Students are required to give one seminar presentation, and to write one 1,500 word essay.

• J Gray, Rebellions and Revolutions (2003)
• M Meisner, The Deng Xiaoping Era (1996)
• C Bramall, Chinese Economic Development (2008)
• P Nolan, Finance and the Real Economy (2020)
• CK Lee, Against the Law (2007)
• S Helmann and E Perry, Mao's Invisible Hand (2011)
• V Shue and P Thornton, To Govern China (2017)
• T Saich, From Rebel to Ruler (2021)
• W Tang, Populist Authoritarianism (2016)
• K Brown, China's Dream (2018)

Essay (100%, 4000 words).