(ISSN 2689-0283 (Print); 2689-0291 (Online); ISBN 978-1-949943-06-1 (online digital); 978-1-949943-07-8 (paperback))
This issue includes essays on Contemporary China–Heartland, Periphery, and Silk Roads. The discussion focuses on core issues around Chinese imaginaries–knowledge and knowledge production, ideology, self-knowledge and the construction of the Chinese heartland as the way in which discursive knowledge is manifested in concrete form. The twelve essays are organized from out of a core or hub (the Chinese heartland). These essays touch on the foundations of knowledge and the passing of the education of the young. That is then connected to the translation of education into social behaviors and social leadership (celebrity culture) and the curating of their collective self knowledge (official histories). A second set of essays then spiral outward along its spokes to the Chinese internal periphery (Hong Kong and Xinjiang) and its connection to foreign global imaginaries through economic activity. It ends with essays that consider the internationalization of the Chinese heartland imaginaries through its silk road (with a focus on African engagement). Here one encounters the projection outward of internal Chinese self-construction and as well the internationalization of the Chinese path as a model for the re-construction of economies and social-political orders to attain the Chinese Dream with local characteristics. A central theme of the essays is an examination of the way in which Chinese Marxist-Leninism constructs its own symbolic universe as an iterative self-construction of theory and experience that progress through time replicating responses that change as context changes.
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CONTENTS
Front Matter (view HERE)
A. Introduction
The Imaginaries of Empire–Theory, Discourse, and Policy Within and Around China, its Heartland, Peripheries and Projections Abroad (Larry Catá Backer and Matthew McQuilla) pp. 1-16 (Access Here)
B. The Chinese Heartland and Its Imaginaries: Essays
1. Knowledge Must be Correctly Cultivated! Considering 《中小学生课外读物进校园管理办法》 “Administrative Measures for the Entry of Extracurricular Reading Materials for Primary and Secondary School Students” Coalition for Peace & Ethics; Prepared by Larry Catá Backer pp. 17-26 (Access Here)
2. The Duty of Faculty is to Further the Great Patriotic Campaigns! 中国共产党普通高等学校基层组织工作条例 [ Regulations of the Communist Party of China on the Work of Primary Organizations in Regular Colleges and Universities] and the Florida Anti-Faculty Bias Legislation ” Larry Catá Backer pp. 27-36 (Access Here)
3. 習思想滲各級教材 小學重「政治啟蒙」 革命傳統、國安、勞動教育 9課題「融入」大中小學 [Xi’s thought is embedded in teaching materials at all levels; primary schools to emphasize “political enlightenment,” revolutionary traditions, national security, labor education, and a 9 topics curriculum are “integrated” into universities, middle schools and primary schools] Larry Catá Backer pp. 37-48 (Access Here)
4. Brief Thoughts on the Semiotics of 陈朋 加强理论与实践融合共进 [Chen Peng, Strengthen the Integrity of Theory and Practice] and New Era Chinese Leninism Larry Catá Backer pp. 49-56 (Access Here)
5. 寻衅滋事 [Picking Quarrels and Provoking Trouble]: China Tightens Regulation of Celebrity Culture as it Reforms Education and Develops Insights From “Social Mentality” Studies Larry Catá Backer pp. 57-70 (Access Here)
6. The Genetics of China’s New Era: Red .Genes and Inter-Generational Leninism–Considering “用好红色资源，传承好红色基因 把红色江山世世代代传下去 习近平 [Make good use of red resources, inherit the red gene, and pass on the red country from generation to generation, Xi Jinping] Larry Catá Backer pp. 71-88 (Access Here)
7. Thoughts on “Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party over the Past Century” [中共中央关于党的百年奋斗重大成就和历史经验的决议（全文）] Larry Catá Backer pp. 89-100 (Access Here)
C. From the Chinese SARs to its Silk Roads: Essays
1. Hong Kong on the Peripheries of the Chinese and Global Imaginaries Larry Catá Backer pp. 101-122 (Access Here)
2. Xinjiang in the Crosshairs of Chinese and Global Imaginaries School’s Out: How College Succumbed to COVID-19 Larry Catá Backer pp. 123-158 (Access Here)
3. Brief Reflections on Emerging Global Trade Empires: From Trans-Pacific Partnership to “Building Back Better” (B3W) in the Shadow of China’s Belt & Road Initiative Larry Catá Backer pp. 159-178 (Access Here)
D. China in Africa: Essays
1. The “My China Story Competition” Campaign in Uganda: Molding the Global China Narrative One Human Interaction at a Time Larry Catá Backer pp. 179-184 (Access Here)
2. The Discursive Edifice of the Chinese Belt & Road Initiative in Africa: State Council of China White Paper– “China and Africa in the New Era: A Partnership of Equals” [《新时代的中非合作》白皮书（全文）] Larry Catá Backer pp. 185-194 (Access Here)