Layering Ideologies from Deng Xiaoping to Xi Jinping: Tracing Ideological Changes of the Communist Party of China Using Text Analysis

Abstract

This article argues that ideological changes of the Communist Party of China follow a layering model, whereby a new discourse developed by each top leader adds a fresh layer to the existing ideological system. Computerised text analysis of college materials for ideology courses from 1978 to 2018 lends support to this model, quantifying the changes over time in the prevalence of each layer in the Party’s ideology. Marxism, Maoism and Dengism have remained as the foundational and dominant components of the ideological system, even during the ascent of Xi Jinping Thought and nationalistic narratives.