Description
- Professor Gerald Chan, University of Auckland, New Zealand
'The rise of China is largely seen as either a threat or an opportunity. Chengxin Pan exposes both of these representations as expressions of Western fears and desires for certainty and predictability. His call for a more reflective and culturally sensitive understanding of China offers an important contribution to one of the big political debates of our time.'
- Professor Roland Bleiker, University of Queensland, Australia
How is the rise of China perceived in the West? Why is it often labelled as 'threat' and/or 'opportunity'? What are the implications of these China imageries for global politics?
Taking up these important questions, this groundbreaking book argues that the dominant Western perceptions of China's rise tell us less about China and more about Western self-imagination and its desire for certainty. Chengxin Pan expertly illustrates how this desire, masked as China 'knowledge', is bound up with the political economy of fears and fantasies, thereby both informing and complicating foreign policy practice in Sino-Western relations. Insofar as this vital relationship is shaped not only by China's rise, but also by the way we conceptualize its rise, this book makes a compelling case for critical reflection on China watching.
Knowledge, Desire and Power in Global Politics is the first systematic and deconstructive analysis of contemporary Western representation of China's rise. Setting itself apart from the mainstream empiricist literature, its critical interpretative approach and unconventional and innovative perspective will not only strongly appeal to academics, students and the broader reading public, but also likely spark debate in the field of Chinese international relations.
About the Author
Chengxin Pan, Senior Lecturer in International Relations, Deakin University, Australia
Reviews
Knowledge, Desire and Power breaks new ground in the China-IR literature. It represents a leading light in the comparatively small but growing body of work which is exposing deep ontological weaknesses in the broad realm of China studies. Chengxin Pan is at the forefront of a push to demonstrate the fallacy in consigning such forces as discourse, identity and representation to the periphery, when they play such a crucial role in the dynamics of China's global affairs and particularly in its relations with the United States. This book should be required reading for students (most likely final year undergraduates and post graduates) as well as scholars with an appetite to critically evaluate the now somewhat tired debates over what China 'is' or will be.'
--Oliver Turner, The University of Manchester, Global Change, Peace & Security, 2014
'This is a brilliant and insightful treatment of Western representations of China, with a theoretical framework suggesting they come not only from China itself, but also the West. Although it is not the first treatment of this topic, it is innovative in considering the 'China threat' and 'China opportunity': both aspects of the rise of China are of crucial importance for our times. With provocative conclusions, it is a truly path-breaking contribution to the literature. I recommend it highly!'
--Emeritus Professor Colin Mackerras, Griffith University, Australia
'Pan has produced a book which not only challenges some basic assumptions about the nature of China's 'rise', but more importantly forces us to rethink the very basic starting points of how we know what we know about China.'
--Professor Shaun Breslin, University of Warwick, UK
Book Information
ISBN 9781785360879
Author Chengxin Pan
Format Paperback
Page Count 264
Imprint Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
Publisher Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
