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State institutions as building blocks of China's infrastructures of memory: the case of intangible heritage
[journal article]
Abstract
The past is continuously reinterpreted to serve the interests of the present. Over the last two centuries of turbulent Chinese history, the past has been redefined through narratives and categorisations. How does the party-state manage the diversity and complexity of China's past, and what implicati... view more
The past is continuously reinterpreted to serve the interests of the present. Over the last two centuries of turbulent Chinese history, the past has been redefined through narratives and categorisations. How does the party-state manage the diversity and complexity of China's past, and what implications does this have for state-society relations in China? Based on a case study of China's adoption of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention, this article argues that the Chinese party-state creates "infrastructures of memory," which enable it to actively manage China's diverse past through selective institutionalisation. This process creates a "cognitive map" of tangible and rationalised relations and boundaries between vernacular memories as interpreted by the state. Although this map is to shape and direct Chinese collective memory and identity, it also sparks contestation among members of the populace who seek to preserve vernacular and multiple memories of their socio-cultural past.... view less
Keywords
China; culture of remembrance; cultural heritage; collective memory; identity formation; society; party state
Classification
Cultural Sociology, Sociology of Art, Sociology of Literature
Free Keywords
Erinnerungspolitik; Geschichte; Gruppenidentität; Identitätskonstruktion; Kollektive Identität; Staatliche Einrichtung; Staatliche Institution; Verhältnis Gesellschaft - Staat
Document language
English
Publication Year
2023
Page/Pages
p. 163-184
Journal
Journal of Current Chinese Affairs, 52 (2023) 2
Issue topic
Politics of Memory, Heritage, and Diversity in Modern China
ISSN
1868-4874
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed