Book Review: The Fragile Scholar: Power and Masculinity in Chinese Culture

Abstract

applying Marxist philosophy to Chinese conditions did not entail the abandonment of Marxism's universality.As with earlier volumes in the Mao's Road to Power series, Volume VI is a handsomely presented volume, containing an informative introduction written by Stuart Schram, and numerous annotations that help contextualize the very large number of documents and provide comparisons with later official editions of them. The availability in English of all the Mao texts from 1937-8 will hopefully rekindle a re-evaluation of Mao's commitment to and understanding of Marxist philosophy and theory, for here is abundant evidence that he took seriously the study of this complex area. Similarly, his political and military writings reveal an astute grasp of the complexities of the Chinese revolution and anti-Japanese War that gives the lie to recent rather derogatory accounts of Mao's organizational abilities and contribution to the war effort. This outstanding volume of Mao's writings will be an essential resource for those interested in the history of Mao and the CCP during a vital phase of the Chinese revolution and the anti-Japanese War.