The Shifting Power Dynamics in China due to Student Activism

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Anti-corruption campaigns in China are strategically aimed at maintaining party rule. Despite student protests in the 2020s not explicitly advocating for democracy, they operate on an ideological basis that paradoxically supports party rule in theory while opposing it in practice. As a result, power has shifted from administrators and local party officials to the nominally communist students. Although student activism may not be highly effective, it has the potential to disrupt and exert pressure on universities, companies, and local politicians. The Chinese Communist Party is facing a catch-22 situation as attempts to address this issue by making students non-ideological would also have complications.

In this episode, Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg discuss China as America’s mirror, how the prestige of American universities is waning while Chinese students are increasingly choosing to study within China, the role of gender in political divergence and what Chinese “woke” looks like, and how China’s leadership is shifting to academia from businessmen. If you need an ecommerce platform, check out our sponsor Shopify: https://shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period.

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LINKS:

Samo’s Bismarck Brief: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/

The Growing Power of China’s Elite Universities: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/p/the-growing-power-of-chinas-elite

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:02:53) - Academia during The Cultural Revolution

(00:08:36) - China’s “woke”

(00:11:15) - How Xi wants China to not fail in the same way the Soviets did

(00:15:00) - Rise of student activism in the US

(00:17:02) - The translation of regional/ethnic inequalities into ideological ones

(00:20:54) - The political ideological paradox generates an opportunity to organize young people

(00:26:28) - Chinese feminism

(00:32:51) - Sponsor: Shopify

(00:36:21) - Materialist focused education in China vs legal focused education in US

(00:41:53) - Will American universities have as much power in the next 10 years as they do now?

(00:45:00) - What positive and negative changes will China see in the near future?

(00:48:30) - Wrap

This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co.