The Cultural Revolution and Maoism in Post-Mao Era

This study builds on past work on the Cultural Revolution, studying the new forms of Maoism—defined here as the advocacy of extreme egalitarianism, coercive state institution and mass mobilization—in the reform era.  There are three empirical grounds. First, in the realm of public opinion, a large portion of the Chinese population remained to be nostalgic about the past China under Mao’s rule. For them, Maoism and its glorified legacy represent a potent weapon of criticism of contemporary ills. Second, the state continues to promote the modern-day Maoist models such as Nanjie Village, and the development model of Chongqing. Third, in the scholarly debates, there are New-Left intellectual currents that guard Mao’s legacy and promote state-socialist economic system of the past.