Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
1-2014
Abstract
Since Xi Jinping invoked “The China Dream” as a key concept in November 2012, this phrase has come to dominate discussions of China’s future. This paper will examine the China dream phenomenon first by placing it in the context of debates that have been raging in Chinese civil society over the past few years. It will analyze the works of 20 prominent “China dreamers” in terms of debates over the proper relationship between (1) politics and economics, (2) equality and hierarchy, (3) civilization and civility, and (4) nationalism and statism. The other main context for the China dream concept is the American dream. While it is common to dismiss the American dream as crass materialism, this essay will examine how it stresses the complementary ideals of freedom and equality. More importantly, it will examine how the American dream has been used as a critical tool to comment on problems in the United States, and relate this to examples in the PRC where the China dream is being used as a critical tool as well.
Keywords
China dream, American dream, patriotic worrying
Discipline
American Studies | Asian Studies | Political Science
Areas of Excellence
Digital transformation
Publication
Economic and Political Studies
Volume
2
Issue
1
First Page
143
Last Page
160
ISSN
2095-4816
Identifier
10.1080/20954816.2014.11673855
Publisher
Taylor and Francis Group
Citation
CALLAHAN, William A..(2014). The China dream and the American dream. Economic and Political Studies, 2(1), 143-160.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/4339
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1080/20954816.2014.11673855