La parole comme arme politique
Résumé
Speech as a Weapon for Political Activism :
Among the many political campaigns in the wake of land reform, attention is focused on the « unified purchase and sale program » (tonggou tongxiao), set up in late 1953 as a state-run monopoly for acquiring and distributing farm produce. After a brief recall of the “bitter accounts of the past,” which served as a major precedent in the use of accusations, the “economy of terror” is described. This terror, which was intended to lead peasant households to adopt required behavior patterns, did not rely on the class struggle or verbal violence alone. It also resulted from the leading role played by local activists who, along with ordinary peasants, were involved in simulated transactions with the conditions set in advance. These activists resorted to exclusive value judgements that endowed actions with meaning and made them acceptable.
Among the many political campaigns in the wake of land reform, attention is focused on the « unified purchase and sale program » (tonggou tongxiao), set up in late 1953 as a state-run monopoly for acquiring and distributing farm produce. After a brief recall of the “bitter accounts of the past,” which served as a major precedent in the use of accusations, the “economy of terror” is described. This terror, which was intended to lead peasant households to adopt required behavior patterns, did not rely on the class struggle or verbal violence alone. It also resulted from the leading role played by local activists who, along with ordinary peasants, were involved in simulated transactions with the conditions set in advance. These activists resorted to exclusive value judgements that endowed actions with meaning and made them acceptable.
On se propose ici d'étudier l'une des multiples campagnes politiques qui se sont succédé depuis la réforme agraire, à savoir la campagne en faveur du « système d'achat et de ravitaillement unifié » (tonggou tongxiao), qui établit le monopole de l'État sur l'acquisition et la distribution des produits agricoles, et qui date de la fin de l'année 1953. Après un bref retour sur les « récits d'amertume », précédent majeur dans l'usage de la parole accusatrice, les auteurs présentent les principaux traits de l'économie de la terreur qui se met alors en place pour que les foyers paysans adoptent les comportements requis. Cette terreur ne repose pas seulement sur le recours au principe de la lutte des classes et à la violence langagière. Elle renvoie également au rôle majeur que jouent les activistes locaux en se livrant, avec les paysans ordinaires, à des simulacres d'échanges dont les termes sont déterminés à l'avance. Ces activistes mobilisent des jugements de valeur exclusifs, permettant seuls de fonder le sens et la recevabilité des actions accomplies