Chinese Economic History before 1900

Catalog description

This seminar explores evolving understandings of the Chinese economy from ancient times to the nineteenth century. We will read and discuss important work in Chinese economic history both to understand the trajectory that has led to China’s contemporary economic position and to situate China’s economic development within world history. Discussions will focus on how China emerged as the world’s leading economy by the year 1000 and how changes in agriculture, industry, markets, and money led the Chinese economy into the modern age. The course will proceed chronologically, and the sources for discussion will include scholarly articles and monographs, and primary materials—texts, images, and archeological excavations. Graduate students will engage with the principal scholarly debates in the field and finish the seminar with a nuanced understanding of the field’s historiography. Knowledge of Chinese is not necessary.