Identity Hunters
In this podcast, Kemal Mohamedou traces the global trajectory of neo-authoritarianism, from its conceptions and configurations, to the ramifications it leaves in its wake. The insightful episode investigates today’s disciples of neo-authoritarianism and their “shift away from democracy, multilateralism, and cooperative security.” Featured Imagery: Sigmund Freud artwork by David Cerny hanging over a street in […]
Written by: Lucas Zhao As Covid-19 marches stridently into its third year, various strands of ‘coronationalism’ have flourished. Nothing is more glaring than the nationalism that has evolved in China, entailing a widespread national pride, in the emergency management by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), at home and abroad. Nationalism is no stranger to crisis. […]
Written by: Charlotte Bascaule Although the territorial dispute over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands has been emphasized as a matter of ‘cold politics, hot economics’, the enduring mistrust and risk of escalation between China and Japan stem precisely from the symbolic and historical nature of the controversy. In the past decades, both China and Japan have appeared […]
Written by: Alyah Albader On September 2, 2021, the Chinese government had put a ban on effeminate men from all entertainment platforms – including TV, video games, and social media. The ban was announced following subsequent attempts by the government to enforce “revolutionary culture” which tighten the mobilization of media and censors any social threats that […]
Cyberspace is the new battleground for identity – but can anybody rule it? China says: yes, we can!
Was anyone surprised on 25th February, when China’s constitutional amendment package revealed that President Xi Jinping can now potentially keep his power for a limitless amount of time? Xinhua News Agency announced the amendment that simply proposed removing the line, ‘China’s President and Vice President shall serve no more than two consecutive terms.’ Referred to as the ‘core’ of the party leadership and increasingly simply as the ‘leader,’ a title only dedicated to Mao in the past, Xi Jinping can now stay for a third term beyond 2023, or even pursue a life-long rule.
Ever since its exciting entrance in the global economy, China has undergone the scrutiny of many. Specifically, that of the Western world, trying to comprehend and justify its unpredictably successful communist authoritarian regime. In fact, since the economic boom initiated by Deng Xiaoping in the 1990s, China has been growing at stunningly fast rates that the West can, as of today, only dream of.
Taiwan throughout history had been given the status of terra nullius, until the Kangxi Emperor of the Qing dynasty was able to see the strategic value of the island. He eventually brought Taiwan onto the map, and ever since Taiwan has been considered as part of China. However, the First Sino-Japanese War changed the history of Taiwan, sparking a first identity struggle on the island. Suddenly, Taiwan was no longer part of the Han civilization but under the colonial control of the Japanese, where it remained for 50 years.
The Taiwan issue is concerned with the political status of Taiwan: whether it should reunify with Mainland China, declare independence as Republic of Taiwan, or maintain the status quo of being de facto independent but de jure remaining within the ‘One China’ framework.
Identity Hunters 