Thought Reform During the Chinese Cultural Revolution

• In Event: 115 - Section on Asia and Asian America Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 04. Political Sociology in China

Abstract

This article looks at a Maoist era thought-reform model through the experiential prism of Deng Kesheng’s ‘Report Back’ – a series of confessional writings crafted from 1966 to 1969. The article analyzes the language utilized by Deng with reference to three main facets: (1) the trust bestowed upon different political agencies; (2) an evolving Mao cult; and, (3) the distinction between the political and intellectual Self.

Authors

• Mirjam Eggli, University of Oxford

• Reza Hasmath, University of Alberta