Discussion Draft Posted: "Cuba and the Constitution of a Stable State of Misery: Ideology, Economic Policy, and Popular Discipline"

 

Pix credit here

 

I am delighted to share the program for the 2024 Annual Conference of the Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy. It will be held at Florida International University (Miami, Florida), 18-20 October 2024. The conference will be co-sponsored by FIU’s Cuban Research Institute. During two-and-a-half days, scholars and professionals present papers and participate in roundtable discussions (Details here).

In this post I share the discussion draft of my presentation at the conference.  It is entitled "Cuba—The Art and Theory of a Stable State of Misery: Ideology, Economic Policy, and Popular Discipline." My object was to consider ways of approaching the following questions:

Pix credit here

Might it be possible to describe the current state of Cuba as an effort to perfect a stable state of misery? Can one better understand the core premises of its political-economic model as pointing to the perfection of administrative apparatus that oversees this state of misery? Can what to outsiders appears to be a state of wretchedness be instead understood from the inside as the fulfillment of a vision of social relations that relies for its ordering on maintaining just enough wretchedness to divert popular attention from the political (and its ruling apparatus) to the business of surviving; a set of social relations en el que lo principal es resolver (in which the principal objective is to solve, to fix, or to overcome the immediate challenges of finding enough to eat and to live well enough)? And might that stability of misery be a condition that suits the rest of the world, which contributes to the maintenance of this implementation of the moral judgments embedded in the Cuban political-economic model?

  Though these questions have special resonance for Cuba in its current state of historical development, there is much here that might inform conditions in other developing states.  The abstract provides a little more detail:

Abstract: The general default position of much commentary on the State of Cuba’s political model tends to be premised on an assumption of instability in need of repair. For decades some of the most creative minds on the planet have devoted tremendous amount of creative capital on solutions to the Cuban problem. This contribution suggests that what appears to be a state of instability and flux is actually becoming a stable state of misery. That stable state, in turn, suggests that control can be maintained as much on the basis of a premise of prosperity as it can on the basis of a reality of misery just challenging enough to keep a population really well managed and the political system reasonably well ordered. It is to consideration of hints about the nature and character of this stable state that this essay is directed. These hints are organized in three parts. The first, the ideological element, considers the way that that morality of consumerism developed over the decades by Fidel Castro and incorporated into the organic documents of the Cuban political economic model helped shape an approach to the role of material goods in a “revolutionary” society in ways that made collective misery—at some level—both tolerable and strategically useful. The second looks to the political-economic element. That is, it considers the ways in which the underlying consumerist morality of the political-economic model finds expression in the practices and policies of the State apparatus guided by the Party and its own governance apparatus. The contribution considers this from the interests of three significant groups with substantial engagement with Cuba. The first include states and other foreign lenders. The second includes the apparatus of the Cuban state itself and the elaboration of a dual character economy. And the third touches on Cuba’s projection into the world, especially in the shadow of its quite useful relationship with the United States The third then considers the utility of periodic popular explosion as the disciplinary factor for gauging the limits of misery tolerable by the body politic. This inverts the usual discourse of popular protest as a means of governance rather than in its more usual construction as some sort of pre-revolutionary signaling of the end of the current hegemony of the political-economic model that has shaped Cuban governance since the mid-1970s.

These elements are woven together through twelve vignettes-- vignettes that are both in search of a theoretical framework and that also suggest its form. The first three weave together the moral order foundations supporting the construction of a robust and stable state of misery, and its transposition to political ideology and its response to and identification of its inverse (and enemy). The second set of five vignettes spotlight key aspects of the way that theory finds its way into the constitution of the policy frameworks through which the state fulfills what it has determined is the best form of application of the principles that make Cuban Marxist Leninism itself and in the actions of foreign states that collude in the enterprise.  The last four vignettes add the dialectical element to the system. The contemporary forms of that engagement manifested after COVID with the 11 July 2021 protests.  But more than that, the dialectic merges protests as a form of dialectic conversation with the (and perhaps measured by) the willingness of the state apparatus to widen or narrow the aperture of toleration of the non-state sector. 

 Comments and engagements always welcome. The discussion draft may be accessed here (SSRN). The Abstract, table of contents and introduction follow below.

Pix credit here

 

CfP--22nd Asian Law Institute (ASLI) Annual Conference May 28-29, 2025, Shanghai, China

 

 

Delighted to pass along the CfP for the 22nd Asian Law Institute (ASLI) Annual Conference to be held May 28-29, 2025, Shanghai, China. It is hosted this year by the East China University of Political Science and Law. The 2025 theme is "Discourses of Rule of Law: Asia's Narrative."  Here is the posted Conference Announcement of Professor WU Qiaofang, Director of International Exchange Center & Dean of International School, East China University of Political Science and Law:

Dear Distinguished Scholars,

It is with great delight that I extend a heartfelt invitation to the 22nd Annual Conference of the Asian Law Institute (ASLI), scheduled to be held at the East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai from May 28th to 29th, 2025.

The chosen theme for the upcoming conference is “Discourses of Rule of Law: Asia’s Narratives”. We are dedicated to upholding ASLI’s longstanding legacy by convening scholars, practitioners, and experts from around the world to engage in meaningful dialogues that aim to advance the rule of law, as well as champion justice and equity within our region and beyond.

The rule of law stands as a cornerstone in the edifice of the modern world, widely acknowledged as a foundational element for global economic prosperity, the enhancement of political systems, and the safeguarding of human rights. As Asia gains more prominence, it presents a distinctive interpretation of the rule of law, one that veers away from Western paradigms. This interpretation places a heightened emphasis on social harmony, the prioritization of collective interests, and the preservation of family values.

Asian countries are championing the cause for legal systems that are not only efficacious but also deeply resonant with their unique cultural narratives. By wholeheartedly embracing the rich tapestry of perspectives that Asia’s narratives on the rule of law offer, we have the opportunity to carve out pathways toward a legal landscape that is both inclusive and cohesive. Such a landscape promises to reflect and honor the values and aspirations of diverse communities throughout Asia, paving the way for a future where the rule of law not only governs but also galvanizes the spirit of unity and mutual respect.

Shanghai is an ideal city to host the upcoming ASLI event. Recognized as a melting pot of cultures and ideas, Shanghai radiates a welcoming charm that resonates with individuals from all corners of the globe. With its world-class infrastructure, diverse culinary offerings, and profound cultural heritage, Shanghai offers a unique setting for exploring the diverse legal traditions and narrative styles that shape our dynamic region.

On behalf of East China University of Political Science and Law and the entire ASLI community, I am filled with eager anticipation at the prospect of welcoming you to the 22nd ASLI Conference. Let’s unite in Shanghai to exchange innovative ideas, forge new friendships, and mutually inspire each other in this dynamic metropolis. May our gathering be a beacon of inspiration, collaboration, and the beginning of enduring connections.

 Details follow below.

Call for Papers: The Business Association of Latin American Studies (BALAS) 2025: "Sustainable Business - Challenges & Opportunities for Latin America.

 

 

Delighted to pass along this call for papers for the Business Association of Latin American Studies (BALAS) 2025 Conference:

The Business Association of Latin American Studies - BALAS(https://balas.org/), the premier Latin American Business Research Community Hub founded in 1989, is thrilled to announce that the #BALAS2025 Annual Conference will be held in #CostaRica from April 8 to 11, 2025, hosted by INCAE Business School (https://incae.edu/en/). It includes a new Track: Corporate Governance in Latin/Ibero-America.
The conference theme is: "Sustainable Business - Challenges & Opportunities for Latin America."

Track: Corporate Governance in Latin/Ibero-America

This track covers corporate governance in Latin/Ibero-America, inviting diverse theoretical perspectives and disciplines for a holistic understanding. This track seeks to explain the effects of roles and attributes of the board of directors, board committees, CEO, Top Management Teams, and other actors and internal governance mechanisms, alongside the influence of diverse ownership structures, including family owners, private equity, cooperatives, non-profit organizations, state, institutional investors, and activist shareholders. The track also seeks to delve into the impact of external governance mechanisms like institutional rules and cultural norms, as well as the role of stakeholders in shaping enterprises' governance practices, including proxy advisors, audit firms, credit ratings, mergers & acquisitions. Additionally, the track invites a comparative analysis of enterprises' governance across different national contexts, considering the influence of transnational institutions and multi-level governance interactions in a globalizing economy.
Call for Papers Deadline: November 15, 2024.
Submission Guidelines and EasyChair Link: https://balas.org/guidelines2025

Details follow and may be accessed here.

Annual Conference: Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy

 

Pix Credit here

I am delighted to share the program for the 2024 Annual Conference of the Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy. It will be held at Florida International University (Miami, Florida), 18-20 October 2024. The conference will be co-sponsored by FIU’s Cuban Research Institute. During two-and-a-half days, scholars and professionals present papers and participate in roundtable discussions. Papers and their formal discussions and roundtable summaries are included in a volume of papers and proceedings. The conference is open to the general public.

The Preliminary Program follows below.

 

International Journal for the Semiotics of Law Volume 37/6, a special issue on "Gender and Law Issues"

 

 The Editorial staff of the International Journal for the Semiotics of Law is thrilled to announce the release of Volume 37/6, a special issue on "Gender and Law Issues", guest edited by Alyane Almeida de Araujo and Sarah Marusek! The TOC follows below.

This issue was inspired by the rich discussions at the International Congress on “Combating Gender-Based Violence” held at the University of Lille on July 2023, sparking new insights and perspectives.

 

Discussion Draft Posted: "The Constitution of Fear and the Performance of Crisis: The Dialectical Mimetic Semiotics of the Constitutional State and the Signification of Preambular and Extraconstitutional Texts"

 

Pix credit here

 

I am delighted to circulate a rough discussion draft I have prepared in anticipation of its first presentation at a conference organized by the remarkable Martin Belov, Professor in Constitutional and Comparative Constitutional Law at the University of Sofia ‘St. Kliment Ohridski’, Faculty of Law. The event, Imaginaries of Crisis and Fear: Constitutional and International Law Perspectives, will be held in Sofia, Bulgaria 8-10 November.

Pix Credit here

My contribution to that exciting event, and the circulated discussion draft, is entitled  The Constitution of Fear and the Performance of Crisis: The Dialectical Mimetic Semiotics of the Constitutional State and the Signification of Preambular and Extraconstitutional Texts. The object is to apply a semiotic lens to constitutional projects (generally): what happens if the constitutional object, its text, is approached as both a memory of the threat-fear-crisis-response-resolution trajectories that produced it, and as the stage and stage directions for mimetic performances of this initial dialectic in ways protective of the fundamental ideological principles that signifies the constitutional object. Interpretation then signifies (in its own right) both an affirmation of the generative act and an affirmation of the solidarity enhancing repeat performances relevant to current actors in time, place and space. Constitutions, in this sense are mimetic dialectical spaces defined by the ideological principles that give them form, and built to anticipate and channel the inevitable repetition of the threat-response the initial resolution of which was the constitution itself. In that context it is worth considering the clues that might be extracted from key extraconstitutional and preambular text. The focus is on the constitutional projects in the United States, China, Cuba, and Kosovo.

Here is the abstract (it needs to be shortened certainly but provides a perhaps useful synopsis of what is attempted):

Pix credit here

Abstract: Constitutions are studied as rational expressions of political calculus aligned in time, space, and place. But constitutional emergence from the womb of conflict are born in emotion—anger, vindication, joy, and faith in a shared future; and they never stray far There is a semiotics of constitutional emotion; and a connection between the semiotics of constitutive emotion and constitutional text—as norm and form. It is the state and profundity of that emotion, perhaps more than the calculus of rational governance, that propels a people to statehood, and statehood to take its particular form. The state of emotion must be maintained, honored, and performed, if it is to carry the state forward from the moment of its emergence, through the long period of time when the founding generation, and their emotional imaginaries are long dead, and the context in which that emotion was felt and understood become incomprehensible outside of its time. It is to the preservation of that emotional explosion, and its alignment with core constitutional text, that constitutions devote time and effort, usually in its preambular text, and sometimes in extraconstitutional documents with quasi-constitutional significance. If powerful enough, the emotive semiotic of constitutional explosion can affect not just its political community but those of other political communities looking for a way to rationalize and direct their own collective political emotion. The focus will be on the way that emotive context—a revolution to preserve traditional values; a communist revolution within a multi-state imperial power; and a revolution with a long fuse grounded in anti-colonialism and anti-imperialism. To those ends the essay first looks to a powerful instance of emotive semiotics, the U.S. Declaration of Independence (1776), and its reflection in the subtextual mimetic dialectics of threat and crisis and resolution in the U.S. federal Constitution (1789). It then considers its value as a template for the constitutionalization of separation in the 21st century through the lens of the preambular texts of the Chinese (1982) and Cuban (2019) constitutions. It then considers its transnationalization in the context of the Kosovo Declaration of Independence (2008). Both express anger driven clusters of emotion with constitutive effect but from very different starting and ending points. For the United States, the traditional form of popular solidarity and independence—grounded in fear, crisis and its resolution—and originating in and through popular action (even if elite directed). For Kosovo, the emerging form (at least for subaltern states)—also grounded in fear, crisis and resolution, but enveloped in a network of expectation and approval from more power and transnational actors.

 

Pix credit here

Contents:
1. Introduction.
2. American Constitutional Convulsions in the Search for the Structures of a More Perfect Union.
3. The Marxist-Leninist Variations: A Glimpse at China and Cuba and Foreign Corruption.
4. From the State to the Techno-Bureaucratization of Dialectics of Fear and Crisis: A Glimpse at Kosovo.
5. From Template to the Mimetic Constitutionalization of Fear/Crisis.

6. Conclusion.

The draft may be accessed here (SSRN); the Introduction follows below.

 

Pix credit here

From 高大伟 David Cowhig's Translation Blog: " 1958: Party’s “Rightist” Speech Collection After Hundred Flowers Campaign" 【高等学校右派言論选編 中共中国人民大学委員会社会主义思想敎育办公室】

Pix Credit here ("What I longed for has arrived")

The course of the development of  Chinese Marxist-Leninist theory, as well as of its application, has evolved in parallel with the development of China from one to another stage of its historical development.  One of the more interesting points of that parallel development, a junction point, was the so-called period of the Hundred Flowers campaign and its consequence, the Anti-Rightist campaigns that followed. Both resonate deeply to contemporary times, and each looked back not just to the Yanan Rectification of the 1940s but as far back as the great schism of 1927.

Some of the errors unearthed during the blooming of the hundred flowers were complied for the edification fo those permitted to profit from it in a book, Selected Rightist Speeches from Institutions of Higher Education published by the Office of Socialist Ideology Education, Communist Party Committee, Renmin University of China 【高等学校右派言論选編 中共中国人民大学委員会社会主义思想敎育办公室】 September 1958 First Printing.

Now David Cowhig has brought a partial translation of some of the material in that 1958 compilation in several postings to his blog-- 高大伟 David Cowhig's Translation Blog.

An online comrade alerted me to this book which is online at Marxists.org at 高等学校右派言論选編 in scanned PDF format. I did optical Chinese character recognition of the scanned PDF file using Wondershare PDF Element with excellent results and then converted the PDF into a Word document available here. There are a few places where the OCR did not get the correct Chinese character; there you can refer to the link at Marxists.org and rely on human optical character recognition — still a bit better. I corrected the Chinese text in a few places where the OCR missed the correct character.

Once I had the Word doc, I used ChatGPT 4o to get a quite respectable Chinese -> English translation.

The book is an 800 page long collection of criticisms that the Party put into the ‘rightist’ category. Many rightists were sent to labor camps and prisons for twenty-odd years until nearly all were exonerated, politically rehabilitated and returned to Chinese society in the late 1970s through the efforts of Hu Yaobang (see 1997 Dai Huang: Excerpts from “Hu Yaobang and the Rectification of Injustices”) and others. (here)

Cowhig has provided a translation of portions of the work:

Part I 1958: Party’s “Rightist” Speech Collection After Hundred Flowers Campaign

Party II 1958: Party's "Rightist" Speech Collection Aftre Hundred Flowers Campaign: On the People+s Democratic Dictatorship (the first 100 or so pages of the work). 

For student's of the history of the development of Chinese Marxist-Leninism and its trajectories, these sources provide a quite valuable window on a tumultuous time, and a pathways towards better understanding of the current stage of development of Chinese Marxist-Leninism.

Thoughts for the Day; The Tragedy of Ἰφιγένεια ἐν Αὐλίδι (Iphigenia in Aulis) in Contemporary Times: An Anniversary Reflection,

 

Pix credit here

 

Today, as I think about the events of a year ago, and what came after, I am reminded of Euripides tragedy, Iphigenia in Aulis (Ἰφιγένεια ἐν Αὐλίδι) (c. 406 B.C.E.). The story is fairly straightforward--though it stands in the place of--and signifies--a number of other stories; stories of sacrifice. The story takes place in Aulis, where the Greek fleet, ready to set sail for Troy under the command of Menelaus, whose wife Helen is to be retrieved (having run off with Paris, Prince of Troy) and his brother Agamemnon, who, having angered the Goddess Demeter is now required to sacrifice his oldest daughter to appease the Goddess.  is prevented from doing so by the goddess Artemis. To that end Agamemnon brings Iphigenia and her mother Clytemnestra under false pretenses (to marry Achilles).  The play revolves around the falsity of the premises on which Iphigenia is brought, the continued resistance of Clytemnestra to the whole adventure, and ultimately the acquiescence of Iphigenia to be sacrificed to satisfy the desires of her father and Uncle, despite the promise of Achilles to help her.

Two passages stand out:

CLY. Listen, then, for I will unfold my story, and will no longer make use of riddles away from the purpose. In the first place, that I may first reproach thee with this—thou didst wed me unwilling, and obtain me by force, having slain Tantalus, my former husband, and having dashed^[85] my infant living to the ground, having torn him by force from my breast. And the twin sons of Jove, my brothers, glorying in their steeds, made war [against thee] but my old father Tyndarus saved you, when you had become a suppliant, and thou again didst possess me as a wife. When I, being reconciled to thee in respect to thy person and home, thou wilt bear witness how blameless a wife I was, both modest in respect to affection, and enriching thy house, so that thou both going within and without thy doors wast blessed. And 'tis a rare prize for a man to obtain such a wife, but there is no lack of getting a bad spouse. And I bear thee this son, besides three virgins, of one of whom thou art cruelly going to deprive me. And if any one ask thee on what account thou wilt slay her, say, what will you answer? or must I needs make your plea, "that Menelaus may obtain Helen?" A pretty custom, forsooth, that children must pay the price of a bad woman. We gain the most hateful things at the hand of those dearest. Come, if thou wilt set out, leaving me at home, and then wilt be a long time absent, what sort of feelings dost think I shall experience, when I behold every seat empty of this child's presence, and every virgin chamber empty, but myself sit in tears alone, ever mourning her [in such strains as these:] "My child, thy father, who begat thee, hath destroyed thee, himself, no other, the slayer, by no other hand, leaving such a reward for [my care of] the house."^[86] Since there wants but a little reason for me and my remaining daughters to give thee such a reception as you deserve to receive. Do not, by the Gods, either compel me to act evilly toward thee, nor do thou thyself be so. Ah well! thou wilt sacrifice thy daughter—what prayers wilt thou then utter? What good thing wilt thou crave for thyself, slaying thy child? An evil return, seeing, forsooth, thou hast disgracefully set out from home. But is it right that I should pray for thee any good thing? Verily we must believe the Gods are senseless, if we feel well disposed to murderers. But wilt thou, returning to Argos, embrace thy children? But 'tis not lawful for thee. Will any of your children look upon you, if thou offerest one of them for slaughter? Thus far have I proceeded in my argument. What! does it only behoove thee to carry about thy sceptre and marshal the army?—whose duty it were to speak a just speech among the Greeks: "Do ye desire, O Greeks, to sail against the land of the Phrygians? Cast lots, whose daughter needs must die"—for this would be on equal terms, but not that you should give thy daughter to the Greeks as a chosen victim. Or Menelaus, whose affair it was, ought to slay Hermione for her mother's sake. But now I, having cherished thy married life, shall be bereaved of my child, but she who has sinned, bearing her daughter under her care to Sparta, will be blest. As to these things, answer me if I say aught not rightly, but if I have spoken well, do not then slay thy child and mine, and thou wilt be wise.

 *       *       *

IPH. Mother, do thou hear my words, for I perceive that thou art vainly wrathful with thy husband, but it is not easy for us to struggle with things [almost] impossible. It is meet therefore to praise our friend for his willingness, but it behooves thee also to see that you be not an object of reproach to the army, and we profit nothing more, and he meet with calamity. But hear me, mother, thinking upon what has entered my mind. I have determined to die, and this I would fain do gloriously, I mean, by dismissing all ignoble thoughts. Come hither, mother, consider with me how well I speak. Greece, the greatest of cities, is now all looking upon me, and there rests in me both the passage of the ships and the destruction of Troy, and, for the women hereafter, if the barbarians do them aught of harm, to allow them no longer to carry them off from prosperous Greece, having avenged the destruction of Helen, whom Paris bore away.^[92] All these things I dying shall redeem, and my renown, for that I have freed Greece, will be blessed. Moreover, it is not right that I should be too fond of life; for thou hast brought me forth for the common good of Greece, not for thyself only. But shall ten thousand men armed with bucklers, and ten thousand, oars in hand, their country being injured, dare to do some deed against the foes, and perish on behalf of Greece, while my life, being but one, shall hinder all these things? What manner of justice is this? Have we a word to answer? And let me come to this point: it is not meet that this man should come to strife with all the Greeks for the sake of a woman, nor lose his life. And one man, forsooth, is better than ten thousand women, that he should behold the light. But if Diana hath wished to receive my body, shall I, being mortal, become an opponent to the Goddess! But it can not be. I give my body for Greece. Sacrifice it, and sack Troy. For this for a long time will be my memorial, and this my children, my wedding, and my glory. But it is meet that Greeks should rule over barbarians, O mother, but not barbarians over Greeks, for the one is slavish, but the others are free.

These are worth contemplating  today; they resonate now in ways that are quite remarkable.  In some versions of the story of Iphigenia, Artemis substitutes a deer in place of the child and spirits her to one of her temples to serve as its priestess. (see here synopsis)  There is no Artemis and no deer in the contemporary versions of this drama. And that resonance ought to invite contemplation at this moment.  More than that I leave to the reader.

Peter C. H. Chan and Wanqiang Wu, 'How to Evaluate Prosecutors? China’s Shift from “Line Appraisal” to “Case-Process Ratio”' (European Chinese Law Research Hub)

 

Pix Credit here

 

The folks over at the European Chinese Law Research Hub (with thanks to Marianne von Blomberg, Editor ECLR Hub, Research Associate, Chair for Chinese Legal Culture, University of Cologne) have posted  a marvelous new essay authored by Peter C. H. Chan (Associate Professor at the City University of Hong Kong, School of Law) and Wanqiang Wu (PhD candidate at Shanghai Jiao Tong University), 'How to Evaluate Prosecutors? China’s Shift from “Line Appraisal” to “Case-Process Ratio”.' The paper From “Line Appraisal” to “Case-Process Ratio”: Will the New Case Quality Assessment System Facilitate the Changing Role of Chinese Prosecutor? was published in the Hong Kong Law Journal. A free draft is uploaded to SSRN.

The authors note: 

"On the whole, the “Case-Process Ratio” model is part of a larger wave of legal reforms in China, designed to modernize the prosecutorial system and align it with broader goals of national governance. These reforms include the integration of arrest approval and prosecution powers, the introduction of the plea leniency system, and efforts to enhance the standardization of legal processes. Together, these changes aim to create a more cohesive and effective legal system that can better respond to societal needs."

Of course, the issue of assessment of discretion based administrative systems is never easy.  It is mad harder where there is a policy shift about what metrics are to be emphasized and what may be emphsized less.  Added to that are the vagaries of the analytics that may or may not capture the intent written into policy or the premises of the idea manifestation of performance. In that respect one of the more interesting aspects of the work is the shift in emphasis that is evidenced by a shift in methodology.  Getting to the ideological basis for that shift adds a layer of profundity to the analysis as one charts the trajectories of fulfillment on the ground of the evolving New Era theoretical framework. One will look forward to the way that the 3rd Plenums emphasis on new quality development and innovation will affect these models going forward.

I am cross posting the essay below. The original ECLRH post may be accessed HERE. And as a plug for the marvelous work at the European Chinese Law Research Hub: if you have observations, analyses or pieces of research that are not publishable as a paper but should get out there, or want to spread event information, calls for papers or job openings, or have a paper forthcoming- do not hesitate to contact Marianne von Bloomberg.

 

The China Quarterly Symposium Call for Participation "The Politics of Knowledge Production about China"

Pix credit here

 

Happy to pass along this quite interesting CfP (call for participation) being circulated by the China Quarterly on "The Politics of Knowledge Production about China".  It fellows below.