Irony, Cynicism, and Potential Resistance

Abstract

Both recent theories of socialism and the evidence from China thus suggest that totalizing institutions never have complete control. The resulting free space has always been there, but has grown increasingly obvious in China over the last decade, as the reforms have encouraged departures from strict state control. Such alternative social relations guarantee that cultural domination can never be total, because the institutions of official interpretation themselves have inherent limits. This chapter will follow how the space created by reciprocal ties, family life, and even political small groups has fostered ambiguous interpretations and refusals to interpret that deflect and deform the campaign for a unified, official reading of Tiananmen.