The Making of Modern China - A Social History

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The goal of this project is to write a historical account of the making of modern China from the tenth century to the present from a new, multidisciplinary and global perspective. The results of the project will be published in form of a 500 page monograph and a companion web-site with selected historical sources. The premise of this project is that the major aspects and characteristics of Chinese history can only be understood by placing them diachronically and vertically within the longue duree of Chinese traditions and transformations as well as synchronically and horizontally within the global contexts and currents. The main emphasis of the account will be on the foundations, forms and consequences of Chinese society, broadly conceived. During the millennium considered in the book, Chinese society went through a series of far-reaching social, economic, political and cultural transformations as a result of which increasingly modern practices and structures took hold in Chinese society and a Chinese modernity slowly emerged. By applying an interdisciplinary and comparative approach to understanding the development of Chinese society, the narrative will highlight structural changes and the responses by various social groups to deal with these changes. In general, the book seeks to move away from the frequent fixation on political history to the equally important consideration of broad societal developments. Each chapter will also include systematic references to global developments and offer comparisons with other regions, thereby demonstrating the interconnectedness of Chinese history with the world.