Disorganizing China: Counter-Bureaucracy and the Decline of Socialism (Hardcover)

“In elegantly written prose, U challenges established views on China and other Soviet-type societies, brilliantly arguing these regimes are not bureaucratic enough! His notion of ‘counter-bureaucracy’ will fundamentally transform the way we look at state socialism and its demise.”—Ching Kwan Lee, University of Michigan

“Clear and to the point, Disorganizing China provides a valuable window into the nature and problems of everyday administration in Marxist-Leninist polities. A challening contribution to China studies, studies of socialist regimes, and social theory, it provides a reasoned, empirically grounded contribution to ongoing debates over the meaning of state socialism's failures and the promise, or not, of neo-liberal economic policies for transitional economies.”—Timothy Cheek, University of British Columbia

"Disorganizing China is one of the most powerful analyses of early Maoist China yet published. Drawing on previously untapped archival material and using sophisticated analysis, this disturbing and brilliant book will appeal to historians and sociologists alike. This is a thrillingly acute and serious piece of work."
—Rana Mitter, Oxford University
"Through extensive interviews and archival research, U reconstructs the concerns and priorities of a war-torn Shanghai as the triumphant Communists marched in to restructure the "old" society. An illuminating work that drives home the tragedies of Mao's over-reaching ambitions when lofty designs encou