This book explores intellectual discourse in reform era China by analysing the so-called debate on the spirit of the Humanities, which occurred in the years 1993-95. Drawing on a large corpus of texts and a wide range of individual positions, it demonstrates how Chinese intellectuals, conceptualised and reacted to both.
Giorgio Strafella's Intellectual Discourse in Reform Era China is the first book-length study in English of a significant event among Chinese intellectuals in the 1990s: a debate that erupted on the spirit of the humanities in China. [...] Strafella's keyword approach adds a fresh perspective to our understanding of the debate. Moreover, his analysis of the rhetoric of the texts a la Fairclough-an approach that is markedly English-language-based-brings out new dimensions that a native Chinese speaker would not normally see. [...] Strafella's book is an admirable study that deserves further critical attention. - Haomin Gong, in The China Journal
1. Introduction
2. A State of Flux
3. Change as Direction
4. The Limits of Choice
5. Choice as Place
6. Spiritual Borders
7. The West as a Resource
Conclusion