ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the use of images of Mao Zedong and Maoism in Polish books and articles published in the Cold War period and the role those images played in shaping the work of Polish scholars, journalists, and intellectuals. Analyzing those images as informational, linguistic, and visual productions, the author reconstructs how uses of Mao’s image in Polish works on China changed in response to specific political and social transformations that occurred in the PRC under Mao’s leadership at the time. Particular attention is paid to comparing Polish researchers’ comments on Mao’s role in building a new, socialist China in the early 1950s, and their opinions on his involvement in the Cultural Revolution. At a larger level, the chapter assesses the impact of the Cold War on Polish China experts and their research agenda.
