The “Socialist Transformation” of Memory

Through discourse analysis and a historical comparison of “Pernicious-Vestiges” narratives in the news text of People’s Daily, this book is devoted to revealing primary metaphors of “Pernicious-Vestiges” and political functions in China.

“Pernicious-Vestiges” (Yí Dú 遗毒) is one of the most frequently used words in contemporary Chinese historical narration, as well as a constantly changing rhetorical direction in New China’s media discourse, whose function is to remold memory. Over the past 76 years, the “Pernicious-Vestiges” narrative continuously constructed by People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, have reflected the views of China’s political elite and represented the ruling party’s evaluation and reevaluation of historical events. The findings of this book challenge the myth that memory is naturally superior to forgetting, reflect on the ethics of memory in “Pernicious-Vestiges” narratives and the erasure of their own justice, and suggest that the critical space compressed by “Pernicious-Vestiges” narratives should be returned to restore the order of memory and historical reflection.

This book will be an excellent read for students and scholars of Chinese studies, media studies, and those who are interested in political communication and collective memory in general.