Empire and Rebellion in China

Catalog description

During the Ming and Oing dynasties, Chinese emperors faced the enormous challenge of maintaining control over a vast and populous polity. This seminar will explore the methods utilized in the late imperial age to control the populace. These methods-most notably the state, legal, and family systems-were never fully effective in enforcing the will of dynastic rulers. As such, we will also investigate the possibilities for resistance against imperial rule and the Confucian worldview. While control and resistance will be the main themes for this seminar, other topics such as the roles of the environment and identity in history will add to our understanding of the late imperial age. Please note that this is a reading and writing intensive course that will rely heavily on the peer-review process.