The Last Emperors: Chinese History and Society, 1600-1900

Catalog description

This course is an introduction to late-imperial "Chinese" history and society with a focus on the Qing dynasty (1644-1912). We begin by examining the Qing not just as the last of China's imperial dynasties but also as an early-modern, multi-ethnic empire that included Mongolia, Tibet, and Xinjiang. In fact, China's "last emperors" were actually Manchus from northeast Asia. Secondly we investigate the social, economic, intellectual and demographic developments that transformed late-imperial China prior to the coming of the West. Thirdly, we examine Qing responses to a string of nineteenth-century disruptions, including but not limited to western imperialism, that threatened to not only end the dynasty but also challenged the very tenants of Chinese civilization. Lastly, we will look at the fall of China's imperial system, the end of empire, and the post-imperial struggle to reformulate the state and re-imagine society for the twentieth century. This course meets the Dietrich Gen Ed "Humanities" requirement.