Inequality in Maoist China (1949-1976): An Intersectional Approach

Date(s)： 2023/11/29

Time： 10:00~12:00

Venue： Archives 2nd Conference Hall

Speaker：Prof. Felix Wemheuer （Chair Professor of Modern Chinese Studies, University of Cologne (Germany))

Organizer： Urban History Research Group

Abstract:
When the Chinese communists came into power in 1949, they promised to “turn society upside down.” and to create a truly egalitarian society in the future. However, the state established systems of classification by class, ethnicity, gender and urban/rural divide among the population that created new forms of inequality. Felix Wemheuer focuses on intersectional hierarchies to understand the social history of Maoist China in a new way. Last but not least, Wemheuer will explain why policies of “affirmative action” based on class and ethnicity failed in Maoist China. The talk is realted to Wemheuer's book A Social History of Maoist China: Conflict and Change, 1949–1976 (Cambridge University Press, 2019) Chinese version forthcoming.
 

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