Presented By: Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies
LRCCS Noon Lecture Series | Useful Bullshit: Constitutions in Chinese Politics and Society
Neil J. Diamant, Walter E. Beach ’56 Chair in Political Science, Professor of Asian Law and Society, Dickinson College
Please register in advance for this Zoom webinar here: https://myumi.ch/Aw1Ew
In this talk, Dr. Diamant takes a look at what happened when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) encouraged millions of citizens to read, listen to, pose questions about, and suggest revisions to drafts of new constitutions, and the implications of such constitutional talk for how we understand constitutionalism and political legitimacy. In promulgating constitutions and then allowing people to talk about them, the CCP opened up political space for people to criticize the party, the revolution, and the constitution, which they did in a variety of ways. They pressed authorities to clarify the meaning of words, phrases, and ideas in constitutions and proposed numerous suggestions for revision. From the very beginning many called out the Party for engaging in what the philosopher Harry Frankfurt called “bullshit.” Despite these reputational costs, the CCP continues to make constitutions a critical element of its governing strategy. At the same time, citizens continue to refer to constitutions in their contestations with the state despite knowing that its articles are not enforced. This talk examines both the bullshit element of constitutions as well as why they are useful for the CCP and citizens.
Neil J. Diamant is the Walter E. Beach ’56 Chair in Political Science and Professor of Asian Law and Society at Dickinson College (Carlisle, PA). In addition to "Useful Bullshit: Constitutions in Chinese Politics and Society" (Cornell University Press, 2021), Diamant is the author of "Revolutionizing the Family: Politics, Love, and Divorce in Urban and Rural China, 1949-1968" (University of California Press, 2000), "Embattled Glory: Veterans, Military Families, and the Politics of Patriotism in China, 1949-2007" (Rowman & Littlefield, 2009), as well as the co-author of "The Politics of Veteran Benefits in the 20th Century: A Comparative History" (Cornell University Press, 2020). He also co-edited "Engaging the Law in China: State, Society, and Possibilities for Justice" (Stanford University Press, 2005). He received his PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
In this talk, Dr. Diamant takes a look at what happened when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) encouraged millions of citizens to read, listen to, pose questions about, and suggest revisions to drafts of new constitutions, and the implications of such constitutional talk for how we understand constitutionalism and political legitimacy. In promulgating constitutions and then allowing people to talk about them, the CCP opened up political space for people to criticize the party, the revolution, and the constitution, which they did in a variety of ways. They pressed authorities to clarify the meaning of words, phrases, and ideas in constitutions and proposed numerous suggestions for revision. From the very beginning many called out the Party for engaging in what the philosopher Harry Frankfurt called “bullshit.” Despite these reputational costs, the CCP continues to make constitutions a critical element of its governing strategy. At the same time, citizens continue to refer to constitutions in their contestations with the state despite knowing that its articles are not enforced. This talk examines both the bullshit element of constitutions as well as why they are useful for the CCP and citizens.
Neil J. Diamant is the Walter E. Beach ’56 Chair in Political Science and Professor of Asian Law and Society at Dickinson College (Carlisle, PA). In addition to "Useful Bullshit: Constitutions in Chinese Politics and Society" (Cornell University Press, 2021), Diamant is the author of "Revolutionizing the Family: Politics, Love, and Divorce in Urban and Rural China, 1949-1968" (University of California Press, 2000), "Embattled Glory: Veterans, Military Families, and the Politics of Patriotism in China, 1949-2007" (Rowman & Littlefield, 2009), as well as the co-author of "The Politics of Veteran Benefits in the 20th Century: A Comparative History" (Cornell University Press, 2020). He also co-edited "Engaging the Law in China: State, Society, and Possibilities for Justice" (Stanford University Press, 2005). He received his PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
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