After empire : the conceptual transformation of the Chinese state, 1885-1924 / Peter Zarrow.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Zarrow, Peter Gue.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Monarchy--China--History--20th century.

Monarchy.

China--History--1861-1912.

China.

China--History--1912-1928.

China--Politics and government--19th century.

China--Politics and government--20th century.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (413 p.)

Place of Publication:

Stanford, CA : Stanford University Press, 2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

From 1885–1924, China underwent a period of acute political struggle and cultural change, brought on by a radical change in thought: after over 2,000 years of monarchical rule, the Chinese people stopped believing in the emperor. These forty years saw the collapse of Confucian political orthodoxy and the struggle among competing definitions of modern citizenship and the state. What made it possible to suddenly imagine a world without the emperor? After Empire traces the formation of the modern Chinese idea of the state through the radical reform programs of the late Qing (1885–1911), the Revolution of 1911, and the first years of the Republic through the final expulsion of the last emperor of the Qing from the Forbidden City in 1924. It contributes to longstanding debates on modern Chinese nationalism by highlighting the evolving ideas of major political thinkers and the views reflected in the general political culture. Zarrow uses a wide range of sources to show how "statism" became a hegemonic discourse that continues to shape China today. Essential to this process were the notions of citizenship and sovereignty, which were consciously adopted and modified from Western discourses on legal theory and international state practices on the basis of Chinese needs and understandings. This text provides fresh interpretations and keen insights into China's pivotal transition from dynasty to republic.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1 Kang Youwei’s Philosophy of Power and the 1898 Reform Movement

2 Liang Qichao and the Citizen-State

3 “Sovereignty” and the Translated State

4 Voices of Receding Reaction

5 Identity, History, and Revolution

6 Restoration and Revolution

7 Founding the Republic of China

8 The Last Emperors

Conclusion

List of Characters

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780804781879

0804781877

OCLC:

769344418