Ágota Révész – författare

This edited volume examines the crucial, yet overlooked, role narratives play in the rapidly changing relationship between Europe and China.

Its contributors analyse the role of narratives in different societies and arenas ranging from economic and foreign policy to history and social media. Emphasizing the social dimension of narrative, the volume challenges traditional state-centric and strategic approaches in international politics. It also engages with the ubiquity of stories about the “other” in present manifold crises, and underscores the need for a heightened awareness of narratives and their consequences in decision-making processes.

This edited volume examines the crucial, yet overlooked, role narratives play in the rapidly changing relationship between Europe and China.

Its contributors analyse the role of narratives in different societies and arenas ranging from economic and foreign policy to history and social media. Emphasizing the social dimension of narrative, the volume challenges traditional state-centric and strategic approaches in international politics. It also engages with the ubiquity of stories about the “other” in present manifold crises, and underscores the need for a heightened awareness of narratives and their consequences in decision-making processes.

The book is intended to become a useful reference for theatre people who need “China knowledge”. Its central questions are: how is traditional Chinese theatre (“Chinese opera”, i.e. xiqu) embedded in contemporary Chinese society? What identities are created through theatre? And, most importantly: how are these identities related to one another to form a complex “economy of identities”? An insight is offered into the traditional Chinese theatre system composed of over three hundred theatre types vying for recognition in a complex relational network. Understanding how this “relationality” works might also shed light on the functioning of other fields in the current socio-cultural complex of China.