Podknife - In 'Sparks,' Ian Johnson highlights China's 'grassroots historians' by NPR's Book of the Day

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In 'Sparks,' Ian Johnson highlights China's 'grassroots historians'

Podcast |: NPR's Book of the Day
Publisher |: NPR
Media Type |: audio
Podknife tags |: Authors,; Books,; Interview
Categories Via RSS |: Arts,; Books
Publication Date |: Oct 31, 2023
Episode Duration |: 00:11:10

Since being named general secretary of China's ruling Communist Party, Xi Jinping has exerted his power to control historical narratives in China. But in his new book, Sparks, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Ian Johnson profiles the people who've fought back to record – and report – the country's full history, including famines, virus outbreaks and ethnic conflicts. In today's episode, Johnson speaks with NPR's John Ruwitch about how the advancement of technologies like PDFs, digital cameras and VPNs have allowed journalists, filmmakers and artists to correct China's collective memory.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

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