Nationalism, Ideology and China's ‘Fourth Generation’ Leadership

Bibliographic Data

ID8092341
AuthorsIan Seckington (corresponding author)
Year2004
Volume14
Issue42
Pages23-33
Publication date2004-12-21
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Contemporary China (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1067-0564 • E-ISSN: 1469-9400
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/1067056042000300763
OpenAlexW2086186937
LanguageEN
Citations received12

This paper examines the extent to which China's ‘Fourth generation’ leadership might be inclined to place a greater emphasis on nationalist rhetoric both in China's international relations and in domestic policy. It explores two different views of nationalism, namely state-centred and popular. With the decline in the public impact of official ideology, the Party–state has given tacit recognition to nationalism as one potential source of regime legitimisation. However, this article argues that by placing the Party at the centre of the official discourse the state-centred view of nationalism restricts the extent to which the Party–state can mobilise nationalist symbolism in support of its leadership and makes the Party vulnerable to criticism from more popular conceptions of nationalism. The priority given to developing the economy means China's leaders must downplay popular criticism which can focus on the negative consequences of China's growing interaction with the wider world. Under China's ‘Fourth generation’ leadership this tension may deepen. China's new leadership are unlikely to resort to ‘wrapping themselves in the flag’ as some commentators have suggested

China · Criticism · Ideology · Nationalism · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Rhetoric · Sociology · State (computer science · China's Ethnic Minorities and Relations · China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance · Hong Kong and Taiwan Politics · Law

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub