Communism and the Artistic Intelligentsia

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Abstract

This article is an effort at comparative history: it treats the intelligentsia in the Soviet Union along with the zhishi fenzi (literally, ‘knowledgeable elements’) in the People’s Republic of China. Starting from a discussion of these terms and ways in which they differ from the Western notion of intellectuals, the article then focuses on the creative work of artists under the two communist regimes. Looking also at the daily conditions, in which writers, musicians, painters, and other members of the artistic intelligentsia in both countries lived and worked, and at their collective image within their societies, the article concludes with a consideration of the legacies and possible prospects of the intelligentsia following the demise of communism in Russia and the introduction of a capitalist market in China.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Oxford handbook of the history of communism
EditorsStephen A. Smith
Place of PublicationOxford, OX2, United Kingdom
PublisherOxford University Press
Pages559-572
Number of pages14
EditionFirst edition.
ISBN (Print)9780199602056
StatePublished - 2014

Publication series

NameOxford handbooks
PublisherOxford University Press

Keywords

  • Communist China
  • Comparative history
  • Intelligentsia
  • Russia and China
  • Soviet Union
  • Zhishi fenzi
  • intellectuals

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