Seeking News, Making China: A Conversation with John Alekna

['Laura De Giorgi', 'John Alekna', 'Laura De Giorgi Is A Professor Of Chinese History At Ca', 'Foscari University Venice. Her Research Interests Include The History Of Media', 'Propaganda In Twenty-Century China', 'The History Of Cultural Relations Between Italy', 'China In The Republican', 'Maoist Eras. She Has Worked On The History Of Radio Broadcasting In Republican China', "She Is Currently Working On A Project On China'S International Radio", "The Sonic Dimensions Of China'S Perception In Europe."] Made in China Journal 2025-09-12 00:00:00

In Seeking News, Making China: Information, Technology, and the Emergence of Mass Society (Stanford University Press, 2024), John Alekna explores how the rise of radio and the circulation of news transformed China’s political and social landscape. Do you think this centrality is somehow connected to specific aspects of Chinese society and culture? There is no area of the world today that is not dominated by a mass political, mass economic, mass cultural society. Industry, wage labour, the profit motive—all played a secondary role in creating Chinese mass society. The movement towards a mass society proceeded regardless of whether a multi-ethnic empire, communist regime, or semi-capitalist dictatorship was in charge.