Gao, MoboXie, BaohuiSchool of Sciences : Asian StudiesZhang, Yinhao2025-04-092025-04-092024https://hdl.handle.net/2440/144164This thesis examines major communication for development (C4D) theories against development practice during the Mao era in China, focusing on literacy campaigns and health promotion initiatives. It investigates the success factors behind these approaches in China, particularly in resource-constrained environments. The study reveals how agricultural collectivization significantly reduced communication costs and fostered farmers' participation in public affairs. It demonstrates how the collective system enabled the implementation of low-cost, adaptable literacy programs, and how the work point system and new agricultural technologies transformed farmers' attitudes towards literacy. The research also analyzes the cooperative medical system and Barefoot Doctor program, showing how they extended healthcare services to poor, rural areas and facilitated the acceptance of modern medical practices. Additionally, it explores how the Barefoot Doctor system attempted to empower farmers in healthcare management, challenging the monopolization of healthcare authority by medical professionals. These case studies suggest a "Maoist paradigm" of C4D that challenges existing communication-centric theories, offering a more comprehensive, socialist-oriented understanding of development and communication. This paradigm emphasizes the transformation of production relations as a prerequisite for effective communication and development.enCommunication for DevelopmentDevelopment CommunicationMao eraagricultural collectivizationBarefoot Doctorcooperative medical systemliteracy campaignsrural developmentThesis