A Social History of Maoist China

Advance praise: 'Thoughtful, informed by a wealth of Chinese-language sources, and analytically penetrating, this is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand Maoist China. The social history of the Mao years is one of the most exciting new fields of Chinese history, and this book gives a comprehensive account of that period from one of its most impressive analysts.' Rana Mitter, University of Oxford Advance praise: 'This is a tour-de-force, a concise, balanced, and humane account of the first three chaotic decades of Communist rule in China. It shows the scale of change and disruption on women, peasants, workers, migrants, youth, and ethnic groups. Biographies, slogans, documents and posters give the book immediacy and authenticity.' Diana Lary, University of British Columbia Advance praise: 'Richly textured and analytically astute, the book makes an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the social history of one of the most tumultuous episodes of modern China. Wemheuer's unparalleled command of both the vast scholarly literature and the primary sources is an inspiration to other researchers in the field.' Yiching Wu, University of Toronto `Thoughtful, informed by a wealth of Chinese-language sources, and analytically penetrating, this is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand Maoist China. The social history of the Mao years is one of the most exciting new fields of Chinese history, and this book gives a comprehensive account of that period from one of its most impressive analysts.' Rana Mitter, University of Oxford `This is a tour-de-force, a concise, balanced, and humane account of the first three chaotic decades of Communist rule in China. It shows the scale of change and disruption on women, peasants, workers, migrants, youth, and ethnic groups. Biographies, slogans, documents and posters give the book immediacy and authenticity.' Diana Lary, University of British Columbia `Richly textured and analytically astute, the book makes an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the social history of one of the most tumultuous episodes of modern China. Wemheuer's unparalleled command of both the vast scholarly literature and the primary sources is an inspiration to other researchers in the field.' Yiching Wu, University of Toronto