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Witness Against History
Literature, Film, and Public Discourse in Twentieth-Century China
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Book Presentation:
Witness against History offers fresh readings of milestones in twentieth-century Chinese literature and cinema. The book reveals how these texts and films, which seem to proclaim faith in modernity, nevertheless doubt the possibility of changing the course of history. In the aftermath of violent events, the authors question their ability to rescue the nation or even create a space for public debate. The witness against history is ultimately a critique of witnessing itself.
About the Author:
Associate Professor of Comparative Literature and a member of the Cinema Studies Program at the University of Washington.
Press Reviews:
"I am impressed by the breadth of [Braester's] knowledge, which, thanks to his training in comparative literature, allows him to draw in compatible examples in Western literature to shed light on this sinological study. In delivering his analysis, such as of Lu Xun, he has utilized certain recent works of other scholars, including some in the PRC. His work thus presents a useful synthesis of the most recent trend of development in the field."—Comparative Literature Studies
"In Witness Against History, [Braester] makes a powerful contribution to the transformation of scholarship on modern Chinese culture."—The China Quarterly
"[Witness Against History] will greatly benefit scholars and students of modern Chinese literature and cinema concerned with issues of representation, communication, and dissemination in the history-specific public sphere."—Journal of Asian Studies
Witness Against History succeeds in offering new insights on some canonical texts as well as offering in-depth reading of previously unexplored material. The author shows confidence in both literary and film analysis and his captivating style creates a cohesive and well-supported argument."—New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies
See the publisher website: Stanford University Press
> From the same author:
Cinema at the City's Edge (2010)
Film and Urban Networks in East Asia
Dir. Yomi Braester and James Tweedie
Painting the City Red (2010)
Chinese Cinema and the Urban Contract
> On a related topic:
Romanian and Chinese Cinemas (2025)
Socialist Affect and Cultural Politics from Maoism to the New Waves
by Lucian Țion
Working the System (2023)
Motion Picture, Filmmakers, and Subjectivities in Mao-Era China, 1949–1966
by Qiliang He
The Politics of Memory in Sinophone Cinemas and Image Culture (2019)
Altering Archives
Dir. Peng Hsiao-yen and Ella Raidel
Art, Politics, and Commerce in Chinese Cinema (2010)
Dir. Ying Zhu and Stanley Rosen
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