Neil J. Diamant's Books

Revolutionizing the Family

Politics, Love, and Divorce in Urban and Rural China, 1949–1968

By: Neil J. Diamant

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Revolutionizing the Family

Politics, Love, and Divorce in Urban and Rural China, 1949–1968

By: Neil J. Diamant

In 1950, China's new Communist government enacted a Marriage Law to allow free choice in marriage and easier access to divorce. Prohibiting arranged marriages, concubinage, and bigamy, it was one of the most dramatic efforts ever by a state to change marital and family relationships. In this comprehensive study of the effects of that law, Neil J. Diamant draws on newly opened urban and rural archival sources to offer a detailed analysis of how the law was interpreted and implemented throughout the country. In sharp contrast to previous studies of the Marriage Law, which have argued that it had little effect in rural areas, Diamant argues that the law reshaped marriage and family relationships in significant--but often unintended--ways throughout the Maoist period. His evidence reveals a confused and often conflicted state apparatus, as well as cases of Chinese men and women taking advantage of the law to justify multiple sexual encounters, to marry for beauty, to demand expensive gifts for engagement, and to divorce on multiple occasions. Moreover, he finds, those who were best placed to use the law's more liberal provisions were not well-educated urbanites but rather illiterate peasant women who had never heard of sexual equality; and it was poor men, not women, who were those most betrayed by the peasant-based revolution. In 1950, China's new Communist government enacted a Marriage Law to allow free choice in marriage and easier access to divorce. Prohibiting arranged marriages, concubinage, and bigamy, it was one of the most dramatic efforts ever by a state to change mari

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480

Publisher

Univ of California Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0520922387

ISBN 13

9780520922389

Engaging the Law in China

State, Society, and Possibilities for Justice

By: Neil Jeffrey Diamant,Stanley B. Lubman,Kevin J. O'Brien

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Engaging the Law in China

State, Society, and Possibilities for Justice

By: Neil Jeffrey Diamant,Stanley B. Lubman,Kevin J. O'Brien

This book explores legal mobilization, culture, and institutions in contemporary China from a perspective informed by 'law and society' scholarship.

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Page Count

270

Publisher

Stanford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0804750483

ISBN 13

9780804750486

Embattled Glory

Veterans, Military Families, and the Politics of Patriotism in China, 1949–2007

By: Neil J. Diamant

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Embattled Glory

Veterans, Military Families, and the Politics of Patriotism in China, 1949–2007

By: Neil J. Diamant

This groundbreaking book examines the treatment of veterans of the People's Liberation Army and military families as an illuminating window into Chinese patriotism, citizenship, and legitimacy. Using a wealth of recently declassified archival documents and employing a wide comparative perspective, Neil J. Diamant presents the first large-scale study of these groups in comparison to similar populations in other parts of Asia and in the West. He offers an unprecedented look at the "everyday interactions" among veterans, military families, state officials, and ordinary citizens as they attempted to secure urban residence, jobs, spouses, medical care, and respect. Often celebrated by the government for their glorious and patriotic service, veterans and military families were the beneficiaries of many policies, such as affirmative action in hiring and access to political power. But, the author asks, if veteran and military families were heroic, why did many of them compare their situation to "donkeys slaughtered after grinding the wheat" and "tossed-away dirty socks?" And what explains the thousands of suicides among veterans, rampant discrimination, and ongoing protests against the government? By comparing veterans in China to their counterparts in the United States, the Soviet Union, Israel, and elsewhere, this book provides important answers to the larger question of what circumstances lead to better or worse treatment of veterans, and what this treatment tells us about patriotism, legitimacy, and respect for military service.

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478

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

0742557685

ISBN 13

9780742557680

The Politics of Veteran Benefits in the Twentieth Century

A Comparative History

By: Martin Crotty,Neil J. Diamant,Mark Edele

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The Politics of Veteran Benefits in the Twentieth Century

A Comparative History

By: Martin Crotty,Neil J. Diamant,Mark Edele

What happened to veterans of the nations involved in the world wars? How did they fare when they returned home and needed benefits? How were they recognized—or not—by their governments and fellow citizens? Where and under what circumstances did they obtain an elevated postwar status? In this sophisticated comparative history of government policies regarding veterans, Martin Crotty, Neil J. Diamant, and Mark Edele examine veterans' struggles for entitlements and benefits in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Taiwan, the Soviet Union, China, Germany, and Australia after both global conflicts. They illuminate how veterans' success or failure in winning benefits were affected by a range of factors that shaped their ability to exert political influence. Some veterans' groups fought politicians for improvements to their postwar lives; this lobbying, the authors show, could set the foundation for beneficial veteran treatment regimes or weaken the political forces proposing unfavorable policies. The authors highlight cases of veterans who secured (and in some cases failed to secure) benefits and status after wars both won and lost; within both democratic and authoritarian polities; under liberal, conservative, and even Leninist governments; after wars fought by volunteers or conscripts, at home or abroad, and for legitimate or subsequently discredited causes. Veterans who succeeded did so, for the most part, by forcing their agendas through lobbying, protesting, and mobilizing public support. The Politics of Veteran Benefits in the Twentieth Century provides a large-scale map for a research field with a future: comparative veteran studies.

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Page Count

149

Publisher

Cornell University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1501751646

ISBN 13

9781501751646

Useful Bullshit

Constitutions in Chinese Politics and Society

By: Neil J. Diamant

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Useful Bullshit

Constitutions in Chinese Politics and Society

By: Neil J. Diamant

In Useful Bullshit Neil J. Diamant pulls back the curtain on early constitutional conversations between citizens and officials in the PRC. Scholars have argued that China, like the former USSR, promulgated constitutions to enhance its domestic and international legitimacy by opening up the constitution-making process to ordinary people, and by granting its citizens political and socioeconomic rights. But what did ordinary officials and people say about their constitutions and rights? Did constitutions contribute to state legitimacy? Over the course of four decades, the PRC government encouraged millions of citizens to pose questions about, and suggest revisions to, the draft of a new constitution. Seizing this opportunity, people asked both straightforward questions like "what is a state?", but also others that, through implication, harshly criticized the document and the government that sponsored it. They pressed officials to clarify the meaning of words, phrases, and ideas in the constitution, proposing numerous revisions. Despite many considering the document "bullshit," successive PRC governments have promulgated it, amending the constitution, debating it at length, and even inaugurating a "Constitution Day." Drawing upon a wealth of archival sources from the Maoist and reform eras, Diamant deals with all facets of this constitutional discussion, as well as its afterlives in the late '50s, the Cultural Revolution, and the post-Mao era. Useful Bullshit illuminates how the Chinese government understands and makes use of the constitution as a political document, and how a vast array of citizens—police, workers, university students, women, and members of different ethnic and religious groups—have responded.

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Page Count

171

Publisher

Cornell University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1501761293

ISBN 13

9781501761294

Revolutionizing the Family

Politics, Love, and Divorce in Urban and Rural China, 1949–1968

By: Neil J. Diamant

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Revolutionizing the Family

Politics, Love, and Divorce in Urban and Rural China, 1949–1968

By: Neil J. Diamant

In 1950, China's new Communist government enacted a Marriage Law to allow free choice in marriage and easier access to divorce. Prohibiting arranged marriages, concubinage, and bigamy, it was one of the most dramatic efforts ever by a state to change marital and family relationships. In this comprehensive study of the effects of that law, Neil J. Diamant draws on newly opened urban and rural archival sources to offer a detailed analysis of how the law was interpreted and implemented throughout the country. In sharp contrast to previous studies of the Marriage Law, which have argued that it had little effect in rural areas, Diamant argues that the law reshaped marriage and family relationships in significant--but often unintended--ways throughout the Maoist period. His evidence reveals a confused and often conflicted state apparatus, as well as cases of Chinese men and women taking advantage of the law to justify multiple sexual encounters, to marry for beauty, to demand expensive gifts for engagement, and to divorce on multiple occasions. Moreover, he finds, those who were best placed to use the law's more liberal provisions were not well-educated urbanites but rather illiterate peasant women who had never heard of sexual equality; and it was poor men, not women, who were those most betrayed by the peasant-based revolution. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 2000. In 1950, China's new Communist government enacted a Marriage Law to allow free choice in marriage and easier access to divorce. Prohibiting arranged marriages, concubinage, and bigamy, it was one of the most dramatic efforts ever by a state to change mari

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Page Count

463

Publisher

Univ of California Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0520922387

ISBN 13

9780520922389

Embattled Glory

Veterans, Military Families, and the Politics of Patriotism in China, 1949–2007

By: Neil J. Diamant

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Embattled Glory

Veterans, Military Families, and the Politics of Patriotism in China, 1949–2007

By: Neil J. Diamant

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

478

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

0742557685

ISBN 13

9780742557680

Book's by Neil J. Diamant

Revolutionizing the Family

Revolutionizing the Family

Engaging the Law in China

Engaging the Law in China

Embattled Glory

Embattled Glory

The Politics of Veteran Benefits in the Twentieth Century

The Politics of Veteran Benefits in the Twentieth Century

Useful Bullshit

Useful Bullshit

Revolutionizing the Family

Revolutionizing the Family

Embattled Glory

Embattled Glory

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