Chinese Nationalism: Origins and ForeignDomestic Policy

1
Chinese Nationalism Origins and Foreign/Domestic
Policy

• May 11, 2005
• Presentation by Lisa Wu

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Why study nationalism?

• Foreign Policy
• Nationalism is a keyif not the keymotivator of
  Chinese foreign policy
• Cultural Insight
• Culturalism and Nationalism are linked
• Historical Insight
• Driving force of change
• Domestic Insight
• Chinas governance problems and resolutions
  linked to nationalism

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What is nationalism?

• Nationalism behavior designed to restore,
  maintain or advance public images of a nation
  (Peter Hayes Gries, China Rising)
• Nationalism doctrines or a set of ideas that
  dictate political action or movement in the
  modern world (Suisheng Zhao, A Nation-State by
  Construction)
• Separate from patriotism and culturalism

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Nationalism difficult to study

• Different forms of nationalism in China
• Local/Regional nationalism
• Ethnic nationalism
• Cultural nationalism
• all of which come into play differently in
  different contexts

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Origins of Nationalism

• Mid-19th century colonialism Chinas defeat at
  the hands of the West
• Multiple nation-states
• China Middle Kingdom
• Culturalism/cultural unity
• Univeralism
• Superiority
• Critique Viable from an intellectual standpoint,
  but discounts the identity factor. China
  exhibited nationalistic behaviors in past

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International Relations some background

• Rationalism Sovereign states are rational
  actors towards their own self-interests. Protect
  security. Relations are determined by level of
  power. States are aggressive and constrained
  only by opposing powers.
• Liberalism the preferences of states, not their
  capabilities determine their behavior. Belief
  that economic and cultural development will bring
  about democratization.

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The New Rise of Chinese Nationalism

• New wave of Anti-Westernism (1990s)
• Origins
• Reaction/response
• Modernization ? Westernization
• Identity?Behavior (constructivist)
• Understanding foreign and domestic policy
• Make China strong again

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New Nationalism

• 1993 bid for 2000 Olympic Games
• The China That Can Say No and The Plot to
  Demonize China
• Economic growth greater than West
• West begins to see China as threat
• Desire for China to emerge as an important and
  respected international power
• Economic growth
• International cooperation
• CCPs legitimacy
• Double-edged, lose autonomy

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Something important that makes China unique

• Authoritarian - free, disconnected from people
• Democratic constrained by public
• This is NOT the case with China b/c of
  nationalistic influences and two level
  governance party/people

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Critiques/Questions

• Academic definition of nationalism to
  inapplicable. Decoupling from culturalism
• How is nationalism indoctrinated? What does this
  have to do with a formation of a distinct Chinese
  identity? Is top-down from government, or
  bottom-up grassroots? Strong cultural/historical
  pride component?
• How do the Chinese reconcile competing
  nationalisms (ie north/south) when uniting
  against foreign powers (ie Japan)? What are the
  priorities of these different nationalisms, and
  when are the Chinese able to set them aside? Do
  these different nationalisms compete when the CCP
  is trying to make up foreign and domestic policy?

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Summary/Reading List

• General agreement on books, write about different
  facets (foreign policy, identity, governance,
  origin, history)
• Barme, Geremie R. (1996). To Screw Foreigners is
  Patriotic Chinas Avant-Garde Nationalism. In
  Chinese Nationalism (pp.183-208). Armonk, NY
  M.E. Sharpe, Inc.
• Gries, Peter H. (2005). Nationalism an Chinese
  Foreign Policy. In Y. Deng F. Wang (Eds.),
  China Rising Power and Motivation in Chinese
  Foreign Policy (pp. 103-120). Lanham, MD Rowman
  Littlefield.
• Zhao, Suisheng (2004). The Origins of Chinese
  Nationalism. In A Nation-State by Construction
  (pp. 37-78). Stanford, CA Stanford University
  Press.
• Zheng, Yongnian (1999). Discovering Chinese
  Nationalism. In Discovering Chinese Nationalism
  in China (pp. 1-20). Cambridge, UK Cambridge
  University Press.