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SlavojiekSinicisationLRB16July2015

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Sinicisation
Slavojiek
WhenAlainBadiouclaimsthatdemocracyisourfetish,thisstatementistobetakeninthe
preciseFreudiansense,notjusttomeanthatweelevatedemocracyintoanuntouchable
Absolute.Democracyisthelastthingweseebeforeconfrontingthelackconstitutiveofthe
socialfield,thefactthatthereisnoclassrelationship,thetraumaofsocialantagonism.
Whenconfrontedwiththerealityofdominationandexploitation,ofbrutalsocialstruggle,we
say,Yes,butwehavedemocracy!asifthatwereenoughtoensurethatwecanresolveorat
leastregulatestruggle,preventingitfromexploding.Anexemplarycaseofdemocracyas
fetishisprovidedbysuchbestsellersandblockbustersasThePelicanBrieforAllthe
PresidentsMen,inwhichacoupleofordinaryguysuncoverascandalthatreachesallthe
waytothepresident,eventuallyforcinghimtostepdown.Corruptioniseverywhereinthese
stories,yettheirideologicalimpactliesintheirupbeattakeawaymessage:whatagreat
democraticcountrythisiswhereacoupleofordinaryguyslikeyouandmecanbringdown
themightiestmanonearth!
Thisiswhyitissoinappropriatetogivearadicalnewpoliticalmovementanamethat
combinessocialismanddemocracy:itcombinestheultimatefetishoftheexistingworldorder
withatermthatblursthekeydistinctions.Everyonecanbeasocialisttoday,evenBillGates:
itsufficestoprofesstheneedforsomekindofharmonioussocialunity,foracommongood
andforthecareofthepooranddowntrodden.AsOttoWeiningerputitmorethana
hundredyearsago,socialismisAryanandcommunismisJewish.
AnexemplarycaseoftodayssocialismisChina,wheretheCommunistPartyisengagedina
campaignofselflegitimisationwhichpromotesthreetheses:1)CommunistPartyrulealone
canguaranteesuccessfulcapitalism2)theruleoftheatheistCommunistPartyalonecan
guaranteeauthenticreligiousfreedomand3)continuingCommunistPartyrulealonecan
guaranteethatChinawillbeasocietyofConfucianconservativevalues(socialharmony,
patriotism,moralorder).Thesearentsimplynonsensicalparadoxes.Thereasoningmightgo
asfollows:1)withoutthepartysstabilisingpower,capitalistdevelopmentwouldexplodeinto
achaosofriotsandprotests2)religiousfactionalstruggleswoulddisturbsocialstability
and3)unbridledhedonistindividualismwouldcorrodesocialharmony.Thethirdpointis
crucial,sincewhatliesinthebackgroundisafearofthecorrosiveinfluenceofWestern
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universalvalues:freedom,democracy,humanrightsandhedonistindividualism.The
ultimateenemyisnotcapitalismassuchbuttherootlessWesternculturethreateningChina
throughthefreeflowoftheinternet.ItmustbefoughtwithChinesepatriotismevenreligion
shouldbesinicisedtoensuresocialstability.ACommunistPartyofficialinXinjiang,Zhang
Chunxian,saidrecentlythatwhilehostileforcesaresteppinguptheirinfiltration,religions
mustworkundersocialismtoserveeconomicdevelopment,socialharmony,ethnicunityand
theunificationofthecountry:Onlywhenoneisagoodcitizencanonebeagoodbeliever.
Butthissinicisationofreligionisntenough:anyreligion,nomatterhowsinicised,is
incompatiblewithmembershipoftheCommunistParty.Anarticleinthenewsletterofthe
partysCentralCommissionforDisciplineInspectionclaimsthatsinceitisafounding
ideologicalprinciplethatCommunistPartymemberscannotbereligious,partymembers
dontenjoytherighttoreligiousfreedom:Chinesecitizenshavethefreedomofreligious
belief,butCommunistPartymembersarenotthesameasregularcitizenstheyarefightersin
thevanguardforacommunistconsciousness.Howdoesthisexclusionofbelieversfromthe
partyaidreligiousfreedom?MarxsanalysisofthepoliticalimbrogliooftheFrench
Revolutionof1848comestomind.TherulingPartyofOrderwasthecoalitionofthetwo
royalistwings,theBourbonsandtheOrleanists.Thetwopartieswere,bydefinition,unableto
findacommondenominatorintheirroyalism,sinceonecannotbearoyalistingeneral,only
asupporterofaparticularroyalhouse,sotheonlywayforthetwotounitewasunderthe
banneroftheanonymouskingdomoftheRepublic.Inotherwords,theonlywaytobea
royalistingeneralistobearepublican.Thesameistrueofreligion.Onecannotbereligious
ingeneral:onecanonlybelieveinaparticulargod,orgods,tothedetrimentofothers.The
failureofallattemptstounitereligionsshowsthattheonlywaytobereligiousingeneralis
underthebanneroftheanonymousreligionofatheism.Effectively,onlyanatheistregime
canguaranteereligioustolerance:themomentthisatheistframedisappears,factional
struggleamongdifferentreligionswillexplode.AlthoughfundamentalistIslamistsallattack
thegodlessWest,theworststrugglesgoonbetweenthem(ISfocusesonkillingShia
Muslims).
Thereis,however,adeeperfearatworkintheprohibitionofreligiousbeliefformembersof
theCommunistParty.ItwouldhavebeenbestfortheChineseCommunistPartyifits
memberswerenottobelieveinanything,notevenincommunism,ZoranaBakovi,the
ChinacorrespondentfortheSloveniannewspaperDelo,wroterecently,sincenumerous
partymembersjoinedchurches(mostofthemProtestantchurches)preciselybecauseoftheir
disappointmentathoweventhesmallesttraceoftheircommunistidealshaddisappeared
fromtodaysChinesepolitics.
Inshort,themostseriousoppositiontotheChinesepartyleadershiptodayispresentedby
trulyconvincedcommunists,agroupcomposedofold,mostlyretiredpartycadreswhofeel
betrayedbytheunbridledcapitalistcorruptionalongwiththoseproletarianswhomthe
Chinesemiraclehasfailed:farmerswhohavelosttheirland,workerswhohavelosttheir
jobsandwanderaroundsearchingforameansofsurvival,otherswhoareexploitedby
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companieslikeFoxconnetc.Theyoftentakepartinmassprotestscarryingplacardsbearing
quotesfromMao.Thiscombinationofexperiencedcadresandthepoorwhohavenothingto
loseispotentiallyexplosive.Chinaisnotastablecountrywithanauthoritarianregimethat
guaranteesharmonyandisthusabletokeepcapitalistdynamicsundercontrol:everyyear
thousandsofrebellionsofworkers,farmersandminoritieshavetobesquashedbythe
authorities.Nowonderofficialpropagandatalksincessantlyofaharmonioussociety.This
veryinsistencebearswitnesstoitsopposite,theeverpresentthreatofchaosanddisorder.
OneshouldapplythebasicruleofStalinisthermeneuticshere:sincetheofficialmediadonot
openlyreportonthetroubles,themostreliablewaytodetectthemistosearchforthepositive
excessesinstatepropagandathemoreharmonyiscelebrated,themorechaosand
antagonismshouldbeinferred.Chinaisfullofantagonismsandbarelycontrolledinstabilities
thatcontinuallythreatentoexplode.
Itisonlyagainstthisbackgroundthatonecanunderstandthereligiouspoliticsofthe
ChineseParty:thefearofbeliefiseffectivelythefearofcommunistbelief,thefearofthose
whoremainfaithfultotheuniversalemancipatorymessageofcommunism.Onelooksinvain
attheongoingideologicalcampaignforanymentionofthebasicclassantagonismmade
evidentintheworkersprotests.Thereisnotalkofthethreatofproletariancommunismall
thefuryisdirectedinsteadagainsttheforeignenemy.CertaincountriesintheWest,the
partysecretaryoftheChineseAcademyofSocialScienceswroteinJune2014,
advertisetheirownvaluesasuniversalvalues,andclaimthattheir
interpretationsoffreedom,democracyandhumanrightsarethestandardby
whichallothersmustbemeasured.Theysparenoexpensewhenitcomesto
hawkingtheirgoodsandpeddlingtheirwarestoeverycorneroftheplanet,and
stirupcolourrevolutionsbothbeforeandbehindthecurtain.Theirgoalisto
infiltrate,breakdownandoverthrowotherregimes.Athomeandabroadcertain
enemyforcesmakeuseofthetermuniversalvaluestosmeartheChinese
CommunistParty,socialismwithChinesecharacteristics,andChinas
mainstreamideology.TheyschemetouseWesternvaluesystemstochange
China,withthegoaloflettingChinesepeoplerenouncetheChineseCommunist
PartysleadershipandsocialismwithChinesecharacteristics,andallowChinato
onceagainbecomeacolonyofsomedevelopedcapitalistcountry.
Someofthisistrue,buttheparticulartruthscoveroveramoregenerallie.Itisofcourse
rightthatonecannotandshouldnottrusttheWesternpowerspromulgationofthe
universalvaluesoffreedom,democracyandhumanrights:thatuniversalityisfalse,and
concealstheWestsideologicalbiases.Evenso,isitthenenoughtoopposeWesternvalues
withaparticularalternative,suchastheConfucianismthatisChinasmainstreamideology?
Dontweneedadifferentuniversalism,adifferentprojectofuniversalemancipation?The
ironyhereisthatsocialismwithChinesecharacteristicseffectivelymeanssocialismwith
capitalistcharacteristics,i.e.asocialismthatfullyintegratesChinaintotheglobalmarket.
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Theuniversalityofglobalcapitalismisleftintact,quietlyacceptedastheonlypossibleframe
theprojectofConfucianharmonyismobilisedonlyinordertokeepalidontheantagonisms
thatcomealongwithglobalcapitalistdynamics.Allthatremainsisasocialismwith
Confuciannationalcolours:anationalsocialism,whosesocialhorizonisthepatriotic
promotionofonesownnation,whiletheantagonismsimmanentincapitalistdevelopment
areprojectedontoaforeignenemywhoposesathreattosocialharmony.WhattheChinese
partyaimsatinitspatrioticpropaganda,whatitcallssocialismwithChinesecharacteristics,
isyetanotherversionofalternativemodernity:capitalismwithoutclassstruggle.
Vol.37No.1416July2015SlavojiekSinicisation
page30|1638words
ISSN02609592CopyrightLRBLimited2015

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v37/n14/slavojzizek/sinicisation

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