Neither Gods Nor Emperors: Students and the Struggle for Democracy in China

by Craig J. Calhoun

This is an eye-witness account of the 1989 student protest movement which culminated in the confrontation at Tiananmen Square. Drawing on interviews and documentary research, the book offers an account of how the movement gathered force, broke through the limits of previous anti-government rebellions, faltered, found renewal in hunger strikes and powerful symbols, and was finally crushed by the military. The book also explores the dynamics of the movement itself, from the way it contributed to a new sense of "civil society", to the fresh notions of collective respect and personal autonomy it engendered.

Genres: History, China, Nonfiction, Politics

350 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 1994

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Calhoun presents a thoroughly researched yet intimate account of the protest, its motivations, and its implications in a way that goes beyond mere sympathy for the students and martyrs. He does point out the shortcomings and the aspects of elitism in the movement, yet ultimately he demonstrates the bravery, the aspirations, and the desire for basic human rights championed not only by young intellectuals but also the working class and other groups often overlooked in so-called "student movements."

The book is divided up into two parts, the first being chronological and the second delving into the psychology of the protests. All in all, this is a great choice for someone interested in a first in-depth look at the Tiananmen Square incident, like me, although the analysis in the second half may prove insightful to anyone.

Even as an American, I ended up learning a lot about democracy from these Chinese protestors from 1989. Reading this book in light of recent events in the world, I am left simultaneously in chills and inspired.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ngl I skimmed this 😭 it was for my contentious politics class and was pretty good but idk why I thought it was a good idea to read the whole thing once I got home bc I am BURNT OUT on poli sci content. Slay Tiananman Square ig tho 🙏

[Kimfu]

It's interesting that I read this book right after I re-read Philip Cunningham's "Tiananmen Moon: Inside the Chinese Student Uprising of 1989." The latter book was more of a blow-by-blow account of what happened from May 4 to a little after June 4, 1989. The first part of the former book was also a blow-by-blow account, but then the book began to talk about why the protests happened in the first place at just the time they did. Very interesting and worth reading several more times. However, "Neither Gods Nor Emperors" was much more dense and involved than "Tiananmen Moon," and I wish I didn't have to rely on the computer voice of my Kindle to listen to it!

"Neither Gods Nor Emperors" was Book No. 28 for 2014!
(二十九)

[Chelsea Szendi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Calhoun was in the streets of Beijing in 1989, and he draws on that rich and exciting experience for this book. Most interesting to me was how he found in his many "man-on-the-street" interviews that the general definition of "democracy" prioritized economic justice and civil liberties, rather than, say, free elections.