Book Review: Museum Representations of Chinese Diasporas: Migration Histories and the Cultural Heritage of the Homeland by Cangbai Wang

Abstract

theory of totalitarianism. Feldman deserves huge appreciation for his efforts to comprehend the first-hand traumatic experiences of the interviewed businessmen and professionals in Mao’s China. A lack of theorization and dialogue with the relevant literature has limited the potential of his findings to generalize the idea of pre-totalitarianism, which could enhance our understanding of the global resurgence of autocratization today. This book appeals to political scientists, journalists, as well as scholars and novices specializing in contemporary China studies. Political sociologists, social psychologists, and anthropologists will appreciate the book for its thick description of the everyday life of the business and professional classes in today’s China, despite its limited theorization of collective memory and trauma under Felman’s conceptualization of pretotalitarianism.