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This book explores an extraordinary case of affirmative biopolitics through the study of Lu Xun (1881-1936), the most prominent cultural figure of modern China. Diverging from the Enlightenment-humanist framework in reference to which Lu Xun is commonly interpreted, it demonstrates how his thinking is defined by a naturalistic conception of culture that is best understood in the global context of what Foucault defines as the biological turn of modernity. In comparison to ontologically-grounded modern Western theories of life, it brings to light the deep connection between Lu Xun's affirmative biopolitics and the epistemic ground of Chinese tradition¿what is known as correlative thinking.
Combining close readings of literary texts with a theoretical consideration of broader issues of culture, this book is an essential read for scholars and students who are interested in Lu Xun, modern Chinese intellectual history, comparative studies of Chinese and Western thought, and the question of affirmative biopolitics.
List of contents
Introduction
Chapter 1. Life and the Power of Self-Transcendence
Chapter 2. The Generation of a “New Life”
Chapter 3. Evolutionary Progress and In-Between Existence
Chapter 4. A Biopolitical Vision of Chinese Modernity
Chapter 5. Correlative Thinking and Its Modern Transformation
Chapter 6. Overcoming Nihilism
Chapter 7. The Negative Bond between Singular Existences
Bibliography
About the author
Wenjin Cui is an Assistant Professor of Chinese at the University of New Hampshire. Her areas of specialization include modern and contemporary Chinese literature and culture, film studies, and critical theory.
Summary
This book explores an extraordinary case of affirmative biopolitics through the study of Lu Xun (1881–1936), the most prominent cultural figure of modern China. Diverging from the Enlightenment-humanist framework in reference to which Lu Xun is commonly interpreted, it demonstrates how his thinking is defined by a naturalistic conception of culture that is best understood in the global context of what Foucault defines as the biological turn of modernity. In comparison to ontologically-grounded modern Western theories of life, it brings to light the deep connection between Lu Xun’s affirmative biopolitics and the epistemic ground of Chinese tradition―what is known as correlative thinking.
Combining close readings of literary texts with a theoretical consideration of broader issues of culture, this book is an essential read for scholars and students who are interested in Lu Xun, modern Chinese intellectual history, comparative studies of Chinese and Western thought, and the question of affirmative biopolitics.
