 | |
| Author | Wang Huning |
|---|---|
| Original title | 美国反对美国 |
| Language | Mandarin Chinese |
| Genre | Politics |
| Publisher | Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House |
| Publication date | 1991 |
| Publication place | Mainland China |
| Media type | |
America Against America is a nonfiction book written by Chinese political scientist Wang Huning about his experiences as a visiting scholar in the United States in 1988.
Synopsis
The book discusses Wang's experiences as a six-months visiting scholar in the United States. The first three months at the University of Iowa, three weeks at the University of California, Berkeley, then visiting about 20 universities within 30 cities.
The book talks about the increasing challenges he saw in the U.S., such as inequality, economic conflicts, decaying of social values and commodification. He also praised the strengths of the U.S., such as its modernity, and peaceful transitions of power, and was described by The Economist as "seeing the weaknesses in America's system, but not exaggerating them". In Wang's own words:
My intention with this title is to show that America contains contradictions that cannot be dismissed with a single sentence. In the old days, people had a dogmatic view of American society as merely the “exploitation of surplus value,” a “dictatorship of the bourgeoisie,” and nothing more. Now there is another extreme, some people imagine the United States as a paradise, rich and without flaw. In fact American society doesn’t match either of these descriptions, and often finds itself in fundamental contradiction with them. There are strengths and weaknesses, and wherever strength can be found, weakness can also be found. America is a contradiction, it contains multitudes. This is what I mean by “America Against America.”
Reception
In 2021, the book received renewed interest in the aftermath of the storming of the United States Capitol, with some used copies surging to 16,600 yuan ($2500) on antiques sites.
References
- Xiao, Hong (1 July 2014). "王沪宁：从学者走入决策层" [Wang Huning: From Scholar to the Decision-Making Level]. Golden Autumn Magazine (金秋杂志). Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
- Yi, Wang (6 November 2017). "Meet the mastermind behind Xi Jinping's power". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 6 November 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- Lyons, N.S. (11 October 2021). "The Triumph and Terror of Wang Huning". Palladium. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
- Chang, Che (21 March 2022). "How a Book About America's History Foretold China's Future". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
- "The flaws that China's chief ideologue found in America". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
- "Wang Huning's career reveals much about political change in China". The Economist. 12 February 2022. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
- "America Against America". 22 September 2023. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- "A $2,500 Book on U.S. Decline Is Suddenly a Must-Read in China". Bloomberg News. 13 January 2021. Archived from the original on 30 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.