Ed Pulford's book "Past Progress" explores how progressive endeavors in the old Cold War West have ended in cataclysmic collapse in the multiethnic frontier town of Hunchun at the triple border of China, Russia, and North Korea. It traces the region's history from the Japanese empire to Chinese, Soviet, and Korean socialisms, revealing how the collapse of Qing, Tsarist, and Choson dynasties marked a compound end of history that opened the area to projections of modernity and progress.

Format: Hardback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 07 May 2024
Publisher: Stanford University Press

Title: Past Progress: The Archaeology of Historical Progress in a Borderland

While anxiety abounds in the old Cold War West that progress – whether political or economic – has been reversed, for citizens of former-socialist countries, murky temporal trajectories are nothing new. Grounded in the multiethnic frontier town of Hunchun at the triple border of China, Russia, and North Korea, Ed Pulford traces how several of global history’s most ambitiously totalizing progressive endeavors have ended in cataclysmic collapse here. From the Japanese empire, which banished Qing, Tsarist, and Choson dynastic histories from the region, through Chinese, Soviet, and Korean socialisms, these borderlands have seen projections and disintegrations of forward-oriented ideas accumulate on a grand scale.

Introduction

Taking an archaeological approach to notions of historical progress, the book’s three parts follow an innovative structure moving backwards through linear time. Part I explores post-historical Hunchun’s diverse sociopolitics since high socialism’s demise. Part II covers the socialist era, discussing cross-border temporal synchrony between China, Russia, and North Korea. Finally, Part III treats the period preceding socialist revolutions, revealing how the collapse of Qing, Tsarist, and Choson dynasties marked a compound end of history which opened the area to projections of modernity and progress.

Part I: Post-Historical Hunchun

In Part I, Pulford examines the diverse sociopolitics of post-historical Hunchun, a borderland that straddles the triple border of China, Russia, and North Korea. He argues that the region’s history is characterized by a series of ruptures and discontinuities, which have shaped its political, economic, and cultural landscape. These ruptures and discontinuities have been caused by a range of factors, including the collapse of the Japanese empire, the establishment of Chinese, Soviet, and Korean socialisms, and the collapse of the Qing, Tsarist, and Choson dynasties. Pulford explores how these ruptures and discontinuities have led to the emergence of new social and political structures, as well as the reconfiguration of existing ones. He also examines the ways in which these ruptures and discontinuities have been interpreted and represented in the region’s cultural and historical narratives.

Part II: The Socialist Era

In Part II, Pulford examines the socialist era in Hunchun. He argues that the socialist era was characterized by a series of cross-border temporal synchrony between China, Russia, and North Korea. This synchrony was facilitated by the establishment of the Sino-Soviet Treaty in 1950, which established a political and economic alliance between the two countries. Pulford explores how this synchrony was used to promote socialist ideology and to control the region’s political and economic affairs. He also examines the ways in which this synchrony was challenged by the emergence of new social and political movements, as well as by the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Pulford argues that the collapse of the Soviet Union marked a significant end of history which opened the area to projections of modernity and progress.

Part III: The Period Preceding Socialist Revolutions

In Part III, Pulford examines the period preceding socialist revolutions in Hunchun. He argues that the collapse of the Qing, Tsarist, and Choson dynasties marked a compound end of history which opened the area to projections of modernity and progress. Pulford explores how these dynasties were characterized by a series of political, economic, and cultural ruptures and discontinuities, which led to their collapse. He also examines the ways in which these dynasties were interpreted and represented in the region’s cultural and historical narratives. Pulford argues that the collapse of these dynasties opened the area to new possibilities for social and political change, and that this change was facilitated by the establishment of the Sino-Soviet Treaty in 1950 and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Past Progress is a fascinating and insightful book that explores the archaeology of historical progress in a borderland. Pulford’s innovative structure and innovative approach to notions of historical progress make the book a valuable contribution to the field of historical studies. The book’s three parts follow an innovative structure moving backwards through linear time, and they provide a rich and detailed analysis of the region’s history. Pulford’s analysis of the post-historical Hunchun’s diverse sociopolitics, the socialist era, and the period preceding socialist revolutions is both insightful and thought-provoking, and it provides a valuable insight into the complex and multifaceted nature of historical progress.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781503638181