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10. (Grand)Father of the Nation? Collective Memory of Sun Yat-sen in Contemporary China
- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
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221 10 (GRAND)FATHER OF THE NATION? COLLECTIVE MEMORY OF SUN YAT-SEN IN CONTEMPORARY CHINA Ceren Ergenc Introduction Reformandopeningupin1978wasastartingpointforChinatochange itseconomicandsocialsystemgradually.Thisgradualchangebroughtabout certainpoliticalchangesaswell.WhenDengXiaopinginitiatedthereforms thattransformedeconomicandsocialstructureofChina,herefrainedfrom identifyingtheideologicalorientationoftheprocess.However,itsoon turnedoutthatitactuallymattered“ifthecatwasblackorwhite”because thestructuralchangesthatthecountrygoingthroughwaschangingthe identityofitspeopleaswell.Thetransformationthatthestateandsociety weregoingthroughrequiredidentifyingthesourcesofthisnewidentity, andboththerulingeliteandthecommunityinfluentialsinthesocietygot engagedinanongoingsearchfordifferentsymbolsthatwouldlegitimizethe neworder.IdeologiessuchasliberalWesternism,schoolsofthoughtsuchas Confucianism,historicalperiodssuchasMingdynastyorRepublicaneraare amongthemanytoserveasasourceforthecollectiveidentityofChinese stateandpeopleinthemaking. 10SunYatSen.indd221 8/24/113:00:03PM 222 Ceren Ergenc Thesechangesinthestatestructureandsocietyrequiredare-evaluation ofvaluestoassociatewith.WhilesomeofthesevalueswerenewtoChina, eitherimportedasapolicyorasaninevitableresultofincreasinginteraction withtheoutsideworld,someothersourcesoflegitimacyforthenewregime weretobefoundinitsownpast.Selectiverememberingandinterpretationof historybecomesnothistoryasdocumentedbutcollectivememoryasasource ofcontemporaryvaluesandidentifications.Whenoldidealsareabandoned, collectivememoryprovidesvaluespeoplecanidentifywith.Selectivityof whattorememberhelpsjustificationofthenewordersandmindsets. Therearetwosimultaneouschallengesthatthenewgovernmentface: (1)howtolegitimatelyincorporatethe“continuitiesanddiscontinuities” (Aguliar2002)ofMaoeraintheirnewidentity;(2)howtofillthevacuum thattheabsenceoftheimageofMaoZedonginthecollectiveconsciousness. WhileMao’splaceintheneworderismoreorless“engineered”bythenew decision-makingelite,thereisamarketplaceofhistoricalfiguresandideasfor alternativestoanationalleader.Moreover,makingofthiscollectivememory isnolongermonolithic.Alongwiththegoverningelite,theintellectual elite,communityinfluentialsandevenlocalcommunitiesintentionallyor unintentionallyparticipateinconstructionofanewcollectivememoryof reformChina. SunYat-senisoneofthehistoricalfiguresthatcometomindinsearch forapastnationalleadertocollectivelyidentifywith.WhetherSunYat-sen willreplaceMaoZedongasanationalsymbolcapableofunifyingstate andsocietyinreformChinaisatoocomplicatedquestiontolenditselfto dichotomicanswers.Thereisthecomplexinteractionofdifferentfactorsthat bringsSunYat-senbackasasourceoflegitimacy.Therefore,understanding theinteractionofthesefactorswithoneanotherandwiththebroadertrends inChinesesocietywouldhelpusunderstandthereasonswhySunYat-sen mightormightnotappearasastronghistoricalimageinreformChina. There are different factors in contemporary China that supports thememoryofSunYat-senasanation-widehistoricalfigureandthese factorswillbeexaminedinthefollowingsection.However,thischapter arguesthatwhatdeterminesprospectsofSunYat-sen’smemoryisnotthe incentivesbehindsuchasocialconstructionbuttheagentsandmeans ofthisconstruction.Thatis,nationalmemoriesattimesareconstructed andimposedinatop-downfashionbythecentralgovernmentagencies orofficialsatanylevelbuttheymustbepositivelyreceivedandaccepted bythesocietyasawholeorpartsofit.Alternatively,vernacularorlocal memorieschallengeormodifythemorevisibletop-downversions.Theresult 10SunYatSen.indd222 8/24/113:00:03PM [18.225.255.134] Project MUSE (2024-04-26 04:22 GMT) Collective Memory of Sun Yat-sen in Contemporary China 223 isalmostalwaysanamalgamationoftheofficialandbottom-upmemory constructions.InSunYat-sen’scase,hismemoryimageisnotfullyaccepted byChinesesociety,notbecauseofthenegativeinputbysomenon-officials...