Neo-leftists versus neo-liberals: PRC intellectual debates in the 1990s

This paper examines the contemporary debates among ‘neo-leftist’ and ‘neo- liberal’ Chinese intellectuals as a means of discussing strategies for intellectual criticism in a post-socialist world. While sympathetic towards the neo-leftist critique of neo-liberal views on markets, I argue that the neo-leftist refusal to reflect on the shortcomings of the Cultural Revolution leads to an unfortunate reproduction of Maoist rhetorical strategies in their writings. After examining some of these rhetorical strategies, I conclude by suggesting that a deconstruction of the category of liberalism itself offers greater promise for contemporary intellectual criticism.