China Against the Tides, 3rd Ed.: Restructuring through Revolution, Radicalism and Reform

(Hardback, 3rd edition)

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China Against the Tides, 3rd Edition argues that, in both Mao and Deng periods, China evolved in ways quite different from the Soviet model and from other developing countries. Using an interdisciplinary and comparative approach, the book analyzes China by introducing theories and concepts from historical and political sociology, economic development, and political science. It also explores China from two comparative perspectives: developing countries (including the newly industrializing countries of East Asia) and historical state socialist regimes.
China Against the Tides, 3rd Edition seeks to combine both the internal perspectives of the actors themselves with the external standpoint of the social scientist. China is, of course, unique; but so are all countries. But, like other countries, its distinctiveness can best be grasped by observing it from outside as well as from within.
Every chapter in the third edition as well as the end bibliography has been updated. In addition, a new section examines China's international relations, and new coverage has been added throughout the chapters. For example, the third edition discusses: the Hu-Wen leadership that came to power in 2002, China's economic growth and social development, internet technology, the continued drumbeat of protests of various kinds, the situation in Tibet, the Olympic Games, the May 2008 earthquake, plus smaller but still notable events, such as the 2003 SARS outbreak, the Three Gorges Dam, and the 2005 pollution episode on the Songhua River

Reviews

"Marc Blecher moves ahead of the introductory texts and general surveys by providing four analytical approaches to understanding China's realities.He then leaves the others far behind by proposing that China is a new type of political regime. He carries the reader along, whether student, observer or specialist,by the sheer excitement of his presentation. A distinctive achievement." -- Robert Benewick, Emeritus Professor of Politics, University of Sussex
"The best textbooks combine scope with more than a dash of 'attitude.' Marc Blecher's China Against the Tides is just that sort of effort. Blecher masterfully interprets China's turbulent 20th century and points readers toward questions that will bedevil China's leaders for years to come.History, politics, social and economic change, international relations: it's all here, deftly woven into a compelling narrative that also has real analytical bite." --Kevin J. O'Brien, Alann P. Bedford Professor of Asian Studies and Political Science,University of California-Berkeley, and editor of Popular Protest in China (Harvard, 2008)
"In this analysis of Chinese politics and society from the Chinese Revolution to the present, Blecher argues that China has been characterized by a remarkable tendency and ability to 'move against the tides' (borrowing a phrase of Mao Zedong's), whether these be the tides of global developments or the tides of its own history. He examines China in four analytical contexts: the ability of China to reinvent itself against the forces of its own long history; the unique aspects of its form of state socialism; China's ability to retain a commitment to developmental goals related to life expectancy, literacy rates, and economic equality while still spurring remarkable economic growth; and China's adoption of elements of capitalism without getting 'swept up in the worldwide tide of liberal capitalism.'" -Eithne O'Leyne, BOOK NEWS, Inc.

Author Bio

Marc Blecher, Ph.D., Professor of Politics and East Asian Studies, Department of Politics and East Asian Studies Program, Oberlin College. Prof. Blecher specializes in Chinese politics, on which he has published five books and dozens of articles on local politics, popular participation, and political economy. He teaches about these subjects as well as Asian politics and political economy, Marxist theory, and comparative politics.