China and the Wireless Undertow: Media as Wave Philosophy

Anna Greenspan's book explores the increasingly intimate relationship between China and wireless technology, using the wave as a central concept. It provides a new theoretical apparatus that reimagines key issues around technological evolution in a shifting geopolitical landscape and offers a corrective to certain myopias of Western media theory. It also presents a deep, historical engagement with issues and debates surrounding Chinese cyberculture and brings together contemporary media theory with modern Chinese philosophical thought.

Format: Hardback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 31 October 2023
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

In the 21st-century city, wireless waves constitute an imperceptible, immersive, all-encompassing environment. Nowhere is this more so than in China, where a hyperdense network of mobile media has restructured daily life. Anna Greenspan re-imagines the relationship between China and wirelessness by synthesising contemporary media theory with modern Chinese thought. It focuses specifically on the work of three critical figures: Tan Sitong (1865-1898), Xiong Shili (1885-1968) and Mou Zongsan (1909-1995).

The book explores the increasingly intimate relationship between China and wireless technology, taking the wave as a central concept. It provides a new theoretical apparatus that reimagines key issues around technological evolution in a shifting geopolitical landscape. It offers a corrective to certain myopias of Western media theory and presents a deep, historical engagement with issues and debates surrounding Chinese cyberculture. The book brings together contemporary media theory with modern Chinese philosophical thought, offering a unique perspective on the complex interplay between technology, culture, and power.

Weight: 574g
Dimension: 160 x 241 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399519731