Rising China and Asian Democratization: Socialization to “Global Culture” in the Political Transformations of Thailand, China, and Taiwan (c)
by
Daniel C. Lynch
Contemporary Issues in Asia and the Pacific
Stanford: Stanford University Press
Summary
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Rising China and Asian Democratization: Socialization to "Global Culture" in the Political Transformations of Thailand, China, and Taiwan is the eleventh title in the East-West Center book series, Contemporary Issues in Asia and the Pacific, published by Stanford University Press. This book argues that democratization is inherently international: states democratize through a process of socialization to a liberal-rational global culture. This can clearly be seen in Taiwan and Thailand, where the elites and attentive public now accept democracy as universally valid. But in China, the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) resists democratization, in part because, its leaders believe, it would lead to China's "permanent decentering" in world history; they see global culture as Western, not universal. As China's national power increases, the CCP could begin restructuring global culture by emboldening and inspiring actors in other Asian countries to uphold or restore authoritarian rule. |
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Review
"The book is based on a very rich trove of recent, original research that will interest area specialists. At the same time, it makes a very interesting and innovative argument that scholars of globalization, democratization, and political development will want to read . . . the theoretical argument is original, thought-provoking, well-argued, and interesting, and offers a very pointed challenge to conventional wisdom. The way Lynch talks about China is brilliant."
--Shelley Rigger, Davidson College
"(The book) is magisterial. Because it encompasses so much and challenges so much, its theses will be debated. The book will prod people to do review essays and hold symposia. In short, it is a very important work. This is superb scholarship."
--Edward Friedman, University of Wisconsin-Madison
"...significant and clearly articulated..."
--Library Journal
"Lynch's theoretical framework provides a new perspective on the variable of global culture; his arguments are likely to inspire much debate and reflection in policy making and scholarly circles."
--Taiwan Journal of Democracy
"In Rising China, Lynch has fashioned a masterful intellectual work. The book is substantively and intellectually rich--at times exuberantly so...Rising China should establish Lynch as one of the major scholars in contemporary US-China relations."
--International Studies Review