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Who's Afraid of China?

The Challenge of Chinese Soft Power

Michael Barr

An introduction both to Chinese soft power and a critical analysis of international reaction to it.
  • Overview
  • Author Bio
  • Table of Contents
  • Reviews
  • Details

Description

If China suddenly democratised, would it cease being labelled as a threat? This provocative book argues that fears of China often say as much about those who hold them as they do about the rising power itself. It focuses not on the usual trope of economic and military might, but on China's growing cultural influence and the connections between China's domestic politics and its attempts to brand itself internationally.

Using examples from film, education, media, politics, and art, Who's Afraid of China? is both an introduction to Chinese soft power and a critical analysis of international reaction to it.

It examines how the West's own past, hopes, and fears shape the way it thinks about and engages with China and argues that the rising power touches a nerve in the Western psyche, presenting a fundamental challenge to ideas about modernity, history, and international relations.

Author Bio

Michael Barr is Lecturer in International Politics at Newcastle University.

Table of Contents

  • Introduction: On the Fear of China 
  • 1. Blinded by the Beijing Consensus 
  • 2. The New Cultural Revolution 
  • 3. A Media Offensive 
  • 4. Brand Confucius 
  • 5. Back to the Future? 
  • 6. All Under Heaven 
  • 7. The Yellow Man's Burden 
  • 8. Imagined Power

Reviews

'A good read for anyone concerned about governance, values and the increasingly informational dimension in which China increasingly challenges the West.'
Stefan Halper, University of Cambridge

'Both those advocating and opposing the theory of Chinese threat will understand why neither of their arguments holds water after reading this book. It is especially worth reading for those who plan to shape a friendly environment for China's rise.'
Yan Xuetong, Tsinghua University, Beijing

'This short book provides not just a savvy analysis of Chinese soft power, but also a clear-eyed critique of the latest versions of Sinomania and Sinophobia.'
Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Professor of History, UC-Irvine

Details

Publication Date: 8 September 2011
160 pages

Product ISBNs: Paperback: 9781848135901
Hardback: 9781848135895
eBook ePub: 9781780324661
eBook Kindle: 9781780324678

Zed Scholar

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