National Insecurities: Humiliation, Salvation, and Chinese Nationalism

The centrality of humiliation to the development of Chinese nationalism is investigated. After identifying a strong connection between nationalism & national insecurities in 20th century Chinese society, the popular tendency to delineate humiliation as a form of irrational political thought is c...

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Published inAlternatives: global, local, political Vol. 29; no. 2; pp. 199 - 218
Main Author Callahan, William A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA Lynne Rienner Publishers 01.03.2004
SAGE Publications
Sage Publications, Inc
Subjects
China
Chinese culture
Chinese nationalism
Countries
Cultural studies
Discourse
East Asian politics
Honour and shame
Humiliation
International politics
National identity
Nationalism
Peoples Republic of China
Political Culture
Political discourse
Political identity
Political theory
Security
Shame
Strategic studies
War
China
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Summary:The centrality of humiliation to the development of Chinese nationalism is investigated. After identifying a strong connection between nationalism & national insecurities in 20th century Chinese society, the popular tendency to delineate humiliation as a form of irrational political thought is challenged. Rather, the analysis of various Chinese nationalist texts reveals that national humiliation discourse permitted Chinese political & cultural actors to perform a self-critique of Chinese national identity. After asserting that national humiliation discourse is neither globally prevalent nor endemic to Chinese culture, it is demonstrated that Chinese political leaders blamed Russian imperialism for national humiliation discourse's introduction to Chinese culture. The evolution of national humiliation discourse in Chinese society throughout the 20th century is then detailed, indicating how understandings of "national" & "humiliation" have changed over time & across geographic locations. The contemporary emergence of a critical discourse on national humiliation within the People's Republic of China is also addressed. J. W. Parker
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ISSN:0304-3754
2163-3150
DOI:10.1177/030437540402900204