Oct. 28, 2022
What We Are Learning This Week with Professor Mark Baron
Exploring the politics of leadership succession in the People’s Republic of China focusing on the recently adjourned Twentieth National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
October 31, 2022 in POLI 465 Chinese Politics
Professor Mark Baron is exploring the politics of leadership succession in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) focusing on the recently adjourned Twentieth National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC)
Can you tell us a little more about this topic?
My students and I are taking the opportunity to reflect critically on Xi Jinping’s election to a third term as CPC General Secretary. This is especially significant because Xi’s election represents a departure from a key leadership succession norm that the Party has observed for the last few decades, namely that a General Secretary steps down after serving two consecutive five-year terms in office. Now that the Party has sanctioned Xi’s continuance as its leader for a third time, my students and I will address why the norm of term limits was introduced to begin with and why the CPC has chosen, at this juncture, to deviate from it.
What else do you cover in your course?
POLI 465 focuses on the development of the Chinese socialist party-state from the Liberation (1 October 1949) to the present. This includes a comparative analysis of the development strategies enacted by successive Party leaderships from Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping.
What do you love about teaching this course?
Invariably, the students who enroll in POLI 465 are extremely keen to learn about China and they have routinely approached the subject matter with an abundance of curiosity and enthusiasm. As an instructor, I am very grateful for this and it has been my privilege to engage students in an exploration of why China’s political system and process of development is relevant analytically to those studying comparative politics and international relations. Facilitating a greater understanding of China and helping students connect the PRC to other states, regions, and/or issues they are interested in are two of the many reasons why I enjoy teaching POLI 465.
Finally, what other courses would you recommend for students interested in this topic?
I recommend POLI 379 The Politics of Development, POLI 579 Political Economy of Development, East Asian Studies 201 Understanding Contemporary East Asia, History 209 The History of China, and History 317 East Asia from 1800).