Options
Giorgio Strafella
Title
Dr.
Last Name
Strafella
First name
Giorgio
Email
giorgio.strafella@unisg.ch
Phone
+41 71 224 2216
Skype
giorgio.strafella
Now showing
1 - 10 of 64
-
PublicationAi Weiwei’s #Refugees: A Transcultural and Transmedia JourneyAfter spending years advocating for human and civil rights in China, Ai Weiwei is now employing his artistic abilities and his sizeable social media presence to sensitise the West to the plight of the refugees who attempt to reach Europe from the Middle East and Africa. In doing so, he is putting European governments rather than the Chinese state ‘on trial’ while adding a ‘transcultural’ dimension to his work. Still, even his most recent endeavours stem from the same philosophy he has espoused throughout his career.
-
PublicationPostmodernism as a Nationalist Conservatism? The Case of Zhang YiwuThe adoption of postmodernist and postcolonial theories by China’s intellectuals dates back to the early 1990s and its history is intertwined with that of two contemporaneous trends in the intellectual sphere, i. e. the rise of conservatism and an effort to re-define the function of the Humanities in the country. This article examines how these trends merge in the political stance of a key figure in that process, Peking University literary scholar Zhang Yiwu, through a critical discourse analysis of his writings from the early and mid-1990s. Pointing at his strategic use of postmodernist discourse, it argues that Zhang Yiwu employed a legitimate critique of the concept of modernity and West-centrism to advocate a historical narrative and a definition of cultural criticism that combine Sino-centrism and depoliticisation. The article examines programmatic articles in which the scholar articulated a theory of the end of China’s “modernity”. It also takes into consideration other parallel interventions that shed light on Zhang Yiwu’s political stance towards modern China, globalisation and post-1992 economic reforms, including a discussion between Zhang Yiwu and some of his most prominent detractors. The article finally reflects on the implications of Zhang Yiwu’s writings for the field of Chinese Studies, in particular on the need to look critically and contextually at the adoption of “foreign” theoretical discourse for national political agendas.Type: journal articleJournal: Asiatische Studien - Études AsiatiquesVolume: 70Issue: 3
-
Publication"Marxism" as Tradition in CCP DiscourseThis study discusses how the Chinese Communist Party has fashioned "Marxism" as a tradition during the last three decades. I argue that its leaders have invented the tradition of Sinicised Marxism by means of a ritualised repetition that emphasises a largely factitious continuity with the purpose of legitimising the Party, justifying policy changes and winning factional struggles. The point is corroborated by an analysis of the invocation of "Marxism" during key political phases in the reform era when the pretence of continuity became crucial for the CCP, including 1978-1985, 1992-1995 and the Eighteenth Party Congress of 2012. The article shows how, in the debates on "the criterion of truth" and "Marxist humanism", the reformists endorsed a re-definition of Marxism that aimed at saving communism from radical Maoism and legitimising the new policies. Next, I examine texts from the beginning of the second reform period, when official propaganda strove to justify the roll-out of a market economy by portraying "pragmatism" as the essence of Marxism. Finally, I analyse how Party-state leaders have invoked Marxism around the time of the last leadership transition. The article suggests that such a use of "Marxism" in contemporary official discourse originates from Mao Zedong Thought as well as in a gradual hollowing out of the concept. As a result it sheds light on the ideological undertows of China's contemporary socio-political history and on the chances of future political change.Type: journal articleJournal: Asiatische Studien - Études AsiatiquesVolume: 69Issue: 1
-
PublicationThe making of an online celebrity: A critical analysis of Han Han's blogIn the ‘society of the spectacle', according to Guy Debord, ‘smug acceptance of what exists can also merge with purely spectacular rebellion' and dissatisfaction itself becomes a commodity. Drawing on his reflections on celebrity and the spectacle, this article analyses the highly popular blog of novelist and racing car driver Han Han (born 1982). By doing so, it explores the relation between Han Han's celebrity and his voice as a social critic. The analysis focuses on how Han Han's blog thrives on the combination of his celebrity status and Everyman image; how it contrasts ‘anti-intellectualism' in the tradition of Wang Shuo (born 1958) with elements of literati ideology including moderate loyal criticism and cultural nationalism; and how it negotiates the tension between commercial spectacle and the expression of sociopolitical concerns. The article also argues that unlike citizen journalism, Han Han's blog relies on editorial commentary on hot topics and acts as a ‘safety valve' blog. This article aims to contribute to understanding the rise in China's cybersphere of a celebrity who merges the images of rebel, opinion leader and cultural entrepreneur.Type: journal articleJournal: China InformationVolume: 29Issue: 3
Scopus© Citations 10 -
PublicationTwitter Bodhisattva: Ai Weiwei's Media PoliticsThis article investigates artist and activist Ai Weiwei's media politics. In 1997 Ai Weiwei imagined a modernist movement that would practise a "non- compromising vigilance on society and power" and since 2005 he has embraced blogging and micro-blogging to enact such intent. We argue that his "communi- cation activism" is part of a broader artistic and political program that long pre- dates his online presence. The study examines how the artist has experimented with blogging and micro-blogging to spread his message of "awakening" in defi- ance of censorship and surveillance. It shows how Ai Weiwei's communication strategy combines an international celebrity status, criticism, irony and a round- the-clock interaction with his netizen audience and the media. It also critiques the effectiveness and coherence of this mode of activism from two perspectives - namely, Jean Baudrillard's analysis of "private telematics" and Jodi Dean's "blog theory" - and finally assesses its impact. The study aims to enhance our understanding of the web-based communication strategies of Chinese activists, shedding light on cultural production and consumption in Chinese cyberspace as a socio-political barometer.Type: journal articleJournal: Asian Studies ReviewVolume: 39Issue: 1
Scopus© Citations 13 -
PublicationType: journal articleJournal: Mondo CineseIssue: 140-141
-
PublicationType: journal articleJournal: Mondo CineseIssue: 138-139
-
PublicationType: journal articleJournal: Mondo CineseIssue: 133
-
PublicationType: conference paper
-
PublicationType: conference paper