Civilising Citizens in Post-mao China ― Understanding the Rhetoric of Suzhi

Political discourse in 21st century China is intimately linked to the patriotic reverie of reviving China as a great civilisation, a dream of reformers since the beginning of the twentieth century as the imperial rule was unravelling. The concept and use of the discourse of suzhi – a term that denotes the idea of cultivating a ‘quality’ citizenship – is central to this program of rejuvenation and is enjoying a revival. This book is the first to offer an accessible and comprehensive analysis of suzhi and critical analysis of this predominant discourse in China.

Delia Lin studied engineering, linguistics and applied linguistics at a leading Chinese university and gained her PhD in Humanities (political culture) at Griffith University, Australia. She is devoted to a cross-disciplinary approach to research. Her research passion lies in the nexus between politics, culture, society, language, philosophy and psychology. Her research centres on the journey of words and political thought, cross-cultural civilising processes, discourse, attitude towards and treatment of mental illness, emotions and socialisation of ideas. She teaches Chinese, translation, Chinese and Western Thinking at the University of Adelaide, Australia.