THE PROBLEMS OF ISMS - PRAGMATIC ORTHODOXY AND LIBERALIZATION IN MAINLAND CHINA

The contradiction inherent in a pragmatic orthodoxy is that on the one hand it tries to minimize the interference of ideological questions in practical policy, and on the other hand it must prevent open questioning of its political principles. Ideology therefore becomes unimportant in practice but remains uncriticized in theory. The paper begins with a discussion of the differences between Teng Hsiao-p'ing's (Deng Xiaoping's) pragmatic orthodoxy and Mao's revolutionary orthodoxy. It then describes the development of four arenas of discourse in the 1980s relating to Chinese politics. Political discourse has improved under Teng, but it is still constricted by ideology. Policy discourse, the expert discussion of concrete problems and alternatives, has blossomed under Teng. Private opinion has also become more diverse, and, lastly, the 1989 events have created an important arena of political discourse outside of mainland China. These developments may pose serious problems for the regime because the maintenance of ideological domination creates a systemic alienation that is not easy to reduce by piecemeal improvement.