The Political Economy of Redemption

“The Political Economy of Redemption: Middle-Class Dreams in the Dalian Special Economic Zone” looks into political economy of redemption, mode of generational transmission where moral economy of seeking redemption for unaccounted-for pasts is inexorably linked to formal economy of exports, consumption, and citywide pursuit of middle class dreams. Against backdrop of national mythology premised on anti-Japanese struggles, municipal government literally invited Japanese back in and turned the city into non-stop performance to lure Japanese capital, businessmen, and tourists to factories, office blocks, and beautifully restored colonial architecture. Significantly increased face-to-face interactions between Chinese and Japanese changed colonial inheritance into productive forces within rhythm of everyday. Analyses of “modern life”, especially in special economic zone, reveals how everyday pursuit of middle-class modern life, from factory floors to karaoke clubs, has become primary sites for incorporating and coming to terms with city’s colonial history. At sites of encounters between Chinese and Japanese, supposedly rational formal economy has become constant reminder of underlying moral economy and accompanying unpaid debts, propelling desires from both sides to reckon with what remains unaccounted for through day-to-day economic activities. Dalian’s new economy channels desires to redeem the past into new forms of production, consumption, and accumulation.

Capital (architecture) · Colonialism · Consumption (sociology) · Economics · Economy · Government (linguistics) · Market economy · Middle class · Mythology · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Social science · Sociology · Chinese history and philosophy · History · Japanese History and Culture