The differences in interpetation of student memoirs on chosen events of The Cultural Revolution

Bc. Alexandra Zuggová

Bachelor's thesis

Abstract:

Tento výskum sa zameriava na študentov počas kultúrnej revolúcie. Ako všetci členovia čínskej spoločnosti, aj mladí študenti boli týmto hnutím do značnej miery ovplyvnení a stali sa jednou z kľúčových zložiek. Hlavným cieľom tohto výskumu je analyzovať a porovnať tri študentské memoáre: Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution od Jiang Jili, My Name Is Number 4: A True Story from the Cultural Revolution od Ye TingXing, a Gang of One: Memoirs of a Red Guard od Shena Fana so zameraním na vybrané udalosti z rokov 1966-68. Medzi udalosti analyzované v tejto práci patrí založenie hnutia Červenej gardy, šírenie novín veľkých znakov (tzv. dazibao) a ničenie „Štyroch prežitkov“. Táto prípadová štúdia bude skúmať naratívy študentov a porovnávať ich, a pomocou komparatívnej analýzy rozoberať ich rozdiely a podobnosti. Aj keď všetci traja študenti tieto udalosti zažili, pomocou tohto výskumu je možné zistiť, že ich podania a postoje sa líšia.

Abstract:

This research focuses on students during the Cultural Revolution. Like all members of the Chinese society, young students were largely affected by this movement, becom-ing one of its key components. The main goal of this research is to analyse and com-pare three student memoirs: Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution by Jiang Jili, My Name Is Number 4: A True Story from the Cultural Revolution by Ye Tin-gXing and Gang of One: Memoirs of a Red Guard by Shen Fan, with the focus on chosen events between the years 1966-68. The events analysed in this work include the es-tablishment of the Red Guard movement, spread of Big Character Posters, and de-stroying the „Four Olds “. This case study will examine the narratives of the students and compare them, defining their similarities and differences using comparative analysis. Even though all three students have experienced them in some way, this work aims to prove that the narrative and attitude towards them varies.

Keywords

Cultural Revolution, students, memoirs, Red Guards, Four Olds, big character posters, Kultúrna revolúcia, študenti, memoáre, červená garda, noviny veľkých znakov, štyri prežitky

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 17. 1. 2022

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 26. 1. 2022
• Supervisor: Mgr. Jakub Drábik, Ph.D.
• Reader: Mgr. Bc. Denisa Hilbertová, M.A.

Masaryk University

Faculty of Arts

Bachelor programme / field:
International Territorial Studies / Culture Studies of China