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 follows an innovative structure moving backwards through linear time, covering post-historical Hunchun's diverse sociopolitics, the socialist era, and the period preceding socialist revolutions.

Format: Paperback / softback
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 has been shaped by the collapse of the Japanese empire, the rise of Chinese, Soviet, and Korean socialisms, and the ongoing influence of the Cold War. He argues that the region’s history is characterized by a series of ruptures and discontinuities, which have led to a complex and fragmented landscape of power and authority. Pulford highlights the role of local actors in shaping these dynamics, including the emergence of new political parties, the growth of local industries, and the influence of external forces such as the United States and China.

Part II: The Socialist Era

In Part II, Pulford explores the socialist era, which began in the late 1940s and lasted until the early 1990s. He argues that the socialist era was characterized by a series of ambitious projects aimed at transforming the region’s economy, society, and politics. However, these projects were often hindered by internal conflicts, external pressures, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Pulford highlights the role of cross-border temporal synchrony in shaping these dynamics, particularly between China, Russia, and North Korea. He argues that the region’s history is characterized by a series of ruptures and discontinuities, which have led to a complex and fragmented landscape of power and authority. Pulford highlights the role of local actors in shaping these dynamics, including the emergence of new political parties, the growth of local industries, and the influence of external forces such as the United States and China.

Part III: The Period Preceding Socialist Revolutions

In Part III, Pulford examines the period preceding socialist revolutions, which began in the late 19th century and lasted until the early 1920s. He argues that the collapse of Qing, Tsarist, and Choson dynasties marked a compound end of history which opened the area to projections of modernity and progress. Pulford highlights the role of local actors in shaping these dynamics, including the emergence of new political parties, the growth of local industries, and the influence of external forces such as the United States and China. He argues that the region’s history is characterized by a series of ruptures and discontinuities, which have led to a complex and fragmented landscape of power and authority. Pulford highlights the role of local actors in shaping these dynamics, including the emergence of new political parties, the growth of local industries, and the influence of external forces such as the United States and China.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Past Progress is a fascinating and insightful book that offers a unique perspective on the history of the Cold War era. Pulford’s archaeological approach to notions of historical progress provides a fresh and innovative way of understanding the region’s complex and fragmented landscape of power and authority. The book’s three parts follow an innovative structure moving backwards through linear time, and Pulford’s analysis of the socialist era is particularly insightful. Overall, Past Progress is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of the Cold War era.

Weight: 510g
Dimension: 152 x 230 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781503639027