Marketing Dictatorship: Propaganda and Thought Work in Contemporary China

Anne-Marie Brady

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2008 - History - 231 pages

Click here to hear Anne-Marie Brady's BBC World Service radio documentary titled "The Message from China"

China's government is no longer a Stalinist-Maoist dictatorship, yet it does not seem to be moving significantly closer to democracy as it is understood in Western terms. After a period of self-imposed exclusion, Chinese society is in the process of a massive transformation in the name of economic progress and integration into the world economy. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is seeking to maintain its rule over China indefinitely, creating yet another "new" China. Propaganda and thought work play a key role in this strategy.

In this important book, noted China scholar Anne-Marie Brady answers some intriguing questions about China's contemporary propaganda system. Why have propaganda and thought work strengthened their hold in China in recent years? How has the CCP government strengthened its power since 1989 when so many analysts predicted otherwise? How does the CCP maintain its monopoly on political power while dismantling the socialist system? How can the government maintain popular support in China when the uniting force of Marxist-Leninist-Maoist ideology is spent and discredited? What has taken the place of communist ideology? Examining propaganda and thought work in the current period offers readers a unique understanding of how the CCP will address real and perceived threats to stability and its continued hold on power. This innovative book is a must-read for everyone interested in China's growing role in the world community.

Contents

• Introduction: 1
• Guiding Hand The Role of the Propaganda System: 9
• Types of Propaganda: 12
• The Central Propaganda Department: 13
• The Powers of the Central Propaganda Department: 15
• Channels for Guidance: 19
• The Structure of the Central Propaganda Department: 20
• The Leadership of the Propaganda System: 22
• Office for Foreign PropagandaState Council Information Office: 23
• Provincial and Local Level Propaganda Departments: 24
• Some Other Organizations within the Propaganda System: 25
• Conclusion: 30
• From Thought Reform to Economic Reform Comparing Propaganda and Thought Work in Different Eras: 35
• Propaganda and Thought Work in the Cultural Revolution 19661976: 37
• Propaganda and Thought Work in the PostMao Era: 39
• Turning Point of a New Era: 41
• Propaganda and Thought Work in the Post89 Era: 44
• Modernizing and Rationalizing the Propaganda System: 48
• Taiwan Crisis China Threat: 51
• The Enemy Within and the Enemy Without: 53
• Power StruggleJiang the Hardliner versus Hu the Reformer: 56
• Hu the Conservative: 58
• Conclusion: 60
• Chinas Unseen Engineers Reform and Modernization in the Propaganda System: 65
• The Origins of Modern PropagandaPR Work: 67
• Rejecting the Goals but Not All the Methods of MaoEra Propaganda Methodology: 70
• New Ways of Looking at Propaganda Work in China: 71
• Adapting Western Social Science Theories to Chinese Needs: 72
• Modernizing Traditional Propaganda Methods: 73
• Political PR: 78
• The Chinese Medias Revised Role: 79
• Public Advertising: 83
• 24hour Spin Doctors: 86
• Conclusion: 87
• Regimenting the Public Mind The Methods of Control in the Propaganda System: 93
• Propaganda Departments Role in Censorship: 94
• Propaganda Guidelines as a Form of Control: 95
• State Organizations with a Censorship Role: 104
• Rule by Law: 109
• The Market as a Means and a Justification for Control: 110
• Appointing Gatekeepers as a Means of Control: 115
• Rewards as a Means of Control: 116
• Setting Social Norms as a Means of Control: 117
• Conclusion: 119
• Sex Crime Wheels of Law and Song Zuying Managing Information Communication Technology in China: 125
• How China Manages the Internet: 126
• The Use of Laws and Regulations to Control the Internet: 128
• Using Architecture to Control the Internet: 131
• Norms as a Means to Control the Internet: 133
• How China Uses the Market to Control the Internet: 135
• The Internet as a New Locus for Chinas Propaganda and Thought Work: 137
• Aggressive Use of the Internet by Government Agents: 139
• Chinas Move to Infotainment: 140
• Telecommunications as a Propaganda Tool: 142
• Radios Role in Propaganda: 144
• Conclusion: 145
• Combating Hostile Forces Chinas Foreign Propaganda Work since 1989: 151
• Enemies All Over the World: 153
• The Post1989 Foreign Propaganda Administrative System: 156
• Foreign Propaganda Themes Post1989: 158
• Chinas Foreign Propagandists: 159
• Chinas Foreign Propaganda Media: 166
• Political PR Public Diplomacy and Spin Doctors: 169
• Conclusion: 170
• Models and AntiModels Searching for a New New China: 175
• Propaganda and Thought Work in the CommunistPostCommunist World since 1989: 178
• The West as a Model for China: 180
• Goodbye to AH That?: 182
• A New New China: 186
• Toward a New Paradigm of CCP Rule: 189
• Rating the Effectiveness of Chinas Modernized Propaganda System: 192
• Conclusion: 194
• The Rebirth of the Propaganda State: 199
• Glossary: 203
• Selected Bibliography: 209
• Index: 221

About the author

Anne-Marie Brady is associate professor in the School of Social and Political Science at the University of Canterbury. She is the presenter for the BBC documentary "The Message from China."

Bibliographic information

• Title: Marketing Dictatorship: Propaganda and Thought Work in Contemporary China; G - Reference,Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series
• Author: Anne-Marie Brady
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2008
• ISBN: 074254057X, 9780742540576
• Length: 231 pages
• Subjects: History / Asia / China; Political Science / International Relations / General; Political Science / World / Asian