Modern Chinese History, Ming to Present

Catalog description

Primarily a reading seminar, this course focuses on Chinese history from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to the present, emphasizing the profound ways that the Ming Dynasty, Qing Dynasty, Republican China, and then the People's Republic of China changed through social, cultural, economic, and political transformations and revolutions. The course investigates topics such as the rise of commercial culture, urbanization, imperialism and empire-making, conflicts with the West, nationalist revolutions, and communism and the establishment of socialist China. Students will examine the role of gender in Chinese society, the relationship of humans to the environment, the shifting notions of ethnic and religious difference, and the effect of successive political movements on China and the Chinese peoples. Students will explore the multiple approaches Chinese historians have taken to reading and presenting historical work, including economic, political, social, and cultural history, and will consider how such approaches shape the production and reception of historical scholarship.