Contents

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Acknowledgments vii
4. Introduction 1
5. 1. Grassroots Intellectuals: Theoretical and Historical Perspectives 26
6. 2. Wang Xiaobo and the Silent Majority: Redefining the Role of Intellectuals After Tiananmen 52
7. 3. Minjian Historians of the Mao Era: Commemorating, Documenting, Debating 84
8. 4. Investigating and Transforming Society from the Margins: The Rise and Fall of Independent Cinema 123
9. 5. Professionals at the Grassroots: Rights Lawyers, Academics, and Petitioners 164
10. 6. Journalists, Bloggers, and a New Public Culture 204
11. Conclusion 247
12. Appendix: Minibiographies of Thirty Minjian Intellectuals 255
13. Notes 261
14. Index 335