Silencing Shanghai: Language and Identity in Urban China

Silencing Shanghai explores the contrast between Shanghai's global city status and the marginalization of its native population, caused by state policies favoring the rich, resourceful, and educated. The decline of the Shanghai dialect is part of the state-led global city building process, associated with realizing the China Dream and eliminating unique vernacular characters.

Format: Hardback
Length: 276 pages
Publication date: 24 June 2021
Publisher: Lexington Books

Silencing Shanghai delves into the intriguing paradox of Shanghai's rise as a global city while simultaneously marginalizing its native population. This decline is evident in the rapid disappearance of the distinctive Shanghai dialect. Through a unique lens, Fang Xu unravels the complex power dynamics within a cosmopolitan metropolis, intricately shaped by an authoritarian state through policies that impact urban redevelopment, internal migration, and language. These policies favor the privileged, the resourceful, and the highly educated, while alienating the poorer and less educated Shanghainese both geographically and linguistically.

When the state vigorously promotes Mandarin Chinese through legal and administrative measures, Shanghainese individuals are compelled, albeit reluctantly, to transition from their dialect to the national language. Simultaneously, millions of migrants who have established their legal, financial, and social standing in the city have little incentive to adopt the vernacular, as their relationship with the state has already solidified their status.

The recent shift in the urban linguistic landscape, which silences the Shanghai dialect, is undeniably part of the state-led global city-building process. By associating the use of the national language with realizing the China Dream, the state further erases the unique vernacular characteristics of Shanghai. This phenomenon highlights the complex interplay between globalization, state power, and local culture, as Shanghai navigates the challenges and opportunities of becoming a global hub.

Weight: 617g
Dimension: 227 x 163 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781793635310