Synopses & Reviews
and#147;Strand eloquently joins political theories to historical reinterpretation, offering a cogent and multifaceted re-reading of Chinaand#8217;s political culture in the twentieth century. An Unfinished Republic is a stunning book of scholarly imagination, diligence, and sophistication.and#8221;and#151;Wen-hsin Yeh, Richard H. and Laurie C. Morrison Professor in History, Walter and Elise Haas Professor in Asian Studies, Director, Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley
and#147;An Unfinished Republic proposes a compelling new interpretation of early twentieth century Chinese history. It opens up unvisited avenues of inquiry into the uniquely Chinese mode and meaning of Republicanism and remaps the trajectory of Chinese politics over the course of the century. Strand is a particularly thoughtful and well-read scholar, who commands knowledge of a range of literatures including political science, cultural history, womenand#8217;s history and political philosophy. He adeptly uses tools from all of these fields to support fresh insight into how Chinese Republicanism was understood, and more importantly, into how it was practiced.and#8221;and#151;Joan Judge, author of The Precious Raft of History: The Past, the West, and the Woman Question in China
Review
and#8220;This richly eloquent study of Chinaand#8217;s early 20th-century political culture stands out as a thought-provoking departure from the conventional narratives of Nationalist China.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;A timely book. . . . It is refreshing to read David Strandand#8217;s revisionist assessment of Sun Yatsen.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;[A] masterful study. . . . No student of modern Chinese history and politics can a?ord to ignore what Strand has to say.and#8221;
Synopsis
In this cogent and insightful reading of Chinaand#8217;s twentieth-century political culture, David Strand argues that the Chinese Revolution of 1911 engendered a new political lifeand#151;one that began to free men and women from the inequality and hierarchy that formed the spine of Chinaand#8217;s social and cultural order. Chinese citizens confronted their leaders and each other face-to-face in a stance familiar to republics worldwide. This shift in political posture was accompanied by considerable trepidation as well as excitement. Profiling three prominent political actors of the timeand#151;suffragist Tang Qunying, diplomat Lu Zhengxiang, and revolutionary Sun Yatsenand#151;Strand demonstrates how a sea change in political performance left leaders dependent on popular support and citizens enmeshed in a political process productive of both authority and dissent.
About the Author
David Strand teaches politics and history at Dickinson College and is the author of Rickshaw Beijing: City People and Politics in the 1920s (UC Press).
Table of Contents
List of Figures
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Republican China
1. Slapping Song Jiaoren
2. Speaking Parts in Chinese History
3. A Womanand#8217;s Republic
4. Seeing Like a Citizen
5. Losing a Speech
6. Sun Yat-senand#8217;s Last Words
Conclusion: Leading and Being Led
Notes
Glossary
Bibliography
Index