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Editor's Introduction

Editor's Introduction Nonreductionist histories, on the other hand, make no effort to repudiate heterogeneity or to reduce the singularities embedded in the empirical record. They do not seek a common foundational narrative. While intent on forging history narratives in relation to the dislocated, differentiated character of global capital, nonreductionist historical narratives resist being yoked (Hall’s useful verb) together into one story. Historians of capitalist, colonial modernity accept the historical work of deconstruction in capitalist social and cultural relations. Decolonization of historiographic work is difficult, however, as Alessandro Russo’s “‘The Probable Defeat’: Preliminary Notes on the Chinese Cultural Revolution” made clear. In that essay, Russo displaced the European preoccupation with legitimation crises. H e replaced that frame with the extreme and often tragic lability of Maoist political experimentation in the 1960s. These experiments cannot be repudiated. In the historically irreducible records of turmoil, such as those registering events in “Asia” in the last century and a half, are irreconcilable differends that vitiate “universal” categories like revolution or social class. T h e historic legitimation of the specific category of “revolution” turns out to be a meeting of French social practice and German philosophy; an unporous, Eurocentered, taxonomic category, it is in http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png positions asia critique Duke University Press

Editor's Introduction

Barlow, Tani E.
positions asia critique , Volume 6 (2) – Sep 1, 1998
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Publisher
Duke University Press
Copyright
Copyright 1998 by Duke University Press
ISSN
1067-9847
eISSN
1527-8271
DOI
10.1215/10679847-6-2-255
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Nonreductionist histories, on the other hand, make no effort to repudiate heterogeneity or to reduce the singularities embedded in the empirical record. They do not seek a common foundational narrative. While intent on forging history narratives in relation to the dislocated, differentiated character of global capital, nonreductionist historical narratives resist being yoked (Hall’s useful verb) together into one story. Historians of capitalist, colonial modernity accept the historical work of deconstruction in capitalist social and cultural relations. Decolonization of historiographic work is difficult, however, as Alessandro Russo’s “‘The Probable Defeat’: Preliminary Notes on the Chinese Cultural Revolution” made clear. In that essay, Russo displaced the European preoccupation with legitimation crises. H e replaced that frame with the extreme and often tragic lability of Maoist political experimentation in the 1960s. These experiments cannot be repudiated. In the historically irreducible records of turmoil, such as those registering events in “Asia” in the last century and a half, are irreconcilable differends that vitiate “universal” categories like revolution or social class. T h e historic legitimation of the specific category of “revolution” turns out to be a meeting of French social practice and German philosophy; an unporous, Eurocentered, taxonomic category, it is in

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positions asia critique – Duke University Press

Published: Sep 1, 1998

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