基本信息
林偉然（1949？-1997）1982年畢業於華南師範學院（現改名為華南師範大學）歷史系；1988年赴美，1992年起在美國威斯康星大學（麥迪遜）歷史系師從林毓生教授攻讀博士學位。1997年死於癌症。
著作
《AnAbortiveChineseEnlightenmen》
內容簡介
ThisthesistreatstheCulturalRevolution(1966-69)essentiallyasanideologicalmovementtoinspiretheChinesepeopletobuildanidealsocietytranscendingclasspolarization.Basedonresearchinofficialdocuments,RedGuardpublications,andundergroundjournals,thisstudyfocusesonthedifferentiationoftwoclasstheories,oldandnew.TheoldclasstheoryprevailedbeforetheCulturalRevolution,emphasizingsocialdivisionspriortotheCommunistvictoryof1949.ThenewclasstheoryarosewiththeunfoldingoftheCulturalRevolution,stressingsocialinequalitiesundersocialism.Conflictbetweenthesetwotheorieswasamajorfactorcontributingtotherebel/conservativedivisionamongthemassesduringtherevolution.Indoctrinationintheoldclasstheorygreatlyenhancedthestate'seffortstoremoldsociety.Theriseofthenewclasstheoriesunleashedsocialforcestotransformthestate.IdeologicaltransformationswerealeadingforceforchangeinMao'sChina.Thisconclusionchallengesthemodelsofbothtotalitarianismandcivilsociety,whichpresupposeaconventionalparadigmoftherelationshipbetweenstateandsociety.Myexaminationofthenewclasstheorysuggeststhatideologyprovidedthespaceforstateandsocietytoexchangeideas--aspacewhereargumentandlogic,notviolenceandpoliticalpower,determinetheoutcome.Ideologythusbelongedtobothstateandsociety,constitutingthepublicsphere.
TheCulturalRevolutionfailed,however.Itcametoaprematureend,leavingnopositiveideologyfortheChinesepeople.ThefailureoftheCulturalRevolutionstruckadeathknellforMaoZedongThought,perhapsthegreatesttragedyoftheCulturalRevolution.BytotallynegatingtheCulturalRevolutionandabandoningMaoZedongThought,theChinesepeoplenegatednumerousgreateffortsoftheirrevolutionarypastandabandonedmanyfineChinesetraditions,resultingintheircompletesurrendertovulgarWesternideologies.
Thethesisconcludes,nevertheless,thatthefinalstageoftheCulturalRevolutionisyettocome.Drivenbyanunrestrainedmarketeconomytomoraluncertainty,theChinesepeoplearenowdesperatelylookingforalternatives.TherevolutionaryideasandidealsoftheCulturalRevolutionmayyetbecomeanideologicalsourcefortheirfuture.
