Abstract
This article endeavors to comprehensively evaluate the attributes of propaganda and thought work in China under the leadership of the current regime. Previous studies have highlighted resemblances between the current regime and Mao’s leadership, particularly in terms of ideological manipulation. However, this article contends that while the propaganda strategies employed by the current regime exhibit similar characteristics to those of the Mao era, the changes in the receivers of the Party’s propaganda machine would not lead to similar ideological turbulences seen in the late Mao era caused by such characteristics. This article offers a concise overview of the evolution of propaganda and thought work in China since 1949, and explores the formation of a post-trust environment in contemporary China, characterized by people’s indifference toward the Party’s rhetoric. Through in-depth examinations of propaganda content related to anti-corruption campaigns and pandemic-related policies, as well as comparisons with historical cases such as the death of Lin Biao and ideological campaigns against the USSR during the Mao era, this article demonstrates that both Maoist China and the current regime exhibit features of absoluteness and sharp transitions in their practices of propaganda and thought work. Even though Deng realized the potential ideological crisis and optimized the propaganda strategy by discarding these features, the current regime can revitalize them again without encountering social challenges, due to people’s long-term distrust and indifferent attitude toward state propaganda. This article contributes to the understanding of ideological control in contemporary China.
Author Information
Haoguang Li, Keio University, Japan
Songqi Han, The University of Tokyo, Japan
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