An American pioneer of Chinese Studies in cross-cultural perspective : Benjamin Bowen Carter as an agent of global knowledge / by Yeung Man Shun.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Yeung, Man Shun, author.

Series:

East and West (Leiden, Netherlands) ; v. 12.

East and west : Culture, Diplomacy and interactions ; volume 12

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Chinese language--Study and teaching--History.

Chinese language.

Sinologists--United States--Biography.

Sinologists.

Chinese language--Study and teaching.

Diplomatic relations.

Education.

Carter, Benjamin Bowen, 1771-1831.

Carter, Benjamin Bowen.

International relations.

History.

China--Study and teaching--United States--History--19th century.

China.

United States--Foreign relations--China.

United States.

China--Foreign relations--United States.

United States--Foreign relations--1783-1815.

China--Foreign relations--18th century.

Genre:

Biographies.

History.

Physical Description:

xv, 447 pages : color illustrations ; 25 cm.

Other Title:

Benjamin Bowen Carter as an agent of global knowledge

Place of Publication:

Leiden ; Boston : Brill, [2021]

Summary:

"Benjamin Bowen Carter (1771-1831), one of the first Americans to speak and read Chinese, studied Chinese in Canton and advocated its use in diplomacy decades before America established a formal relationship with China. Drawing on rediscovered manuscripts, this book reconstructs Carter's multilingual learning experience, reveals how he helped translate a diplomatic document into Chinese, describes his interactions with European sinologists, and traces his attempts to convince the US government and American academics of the practical and cultural value of Chinese studies. The cross-cultural perspective employed in this book emphasizes the reciprocal dynamics of Carter's relationships with Chinese and European "others," while Carter's story itself forces a rewriting of the earliest years of US-China relations"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: 1. On the Linguistic Frontier in Canton

A Cross-Cultural Approach to Language Learning

1.1. The Earliest Glimmer of Chinese Studies in America

1.2. Recovering Carter's Story: Perspectives and Approaches

1.2.1. Historical Research and the Cross-Cultural Perspective

1.2.2. Chinese-Language Education and Sino-American Relations

1.2.3. Previous Accounts of Benjamin Bowen Carter

1.2.4. Americans' Acquaintance with China and the Chinese Language

1.2.5. The Study of Chinese in the Western Communities in Canton

1.2.6. Translation of Language and Culture

1.2.7. Dissemination and Exchange of Knowledge

1.3. Learning the Language of the Other: The Place of Chinese Studies in Europe and America

2. Finding a Calling

Carter's Transcontinental journey to Chinese Studies

2.1. Restless in America: Family and Early Life

2.2. Opportunities in China: 1798

1806

2.2.1. Providence's Canton Trade

2.2.2. Five Voyages to the East

2.3. Fulfillment in Europe and Disappointment at Home: 1806

1831

2.4. From Curiosity to a Lifelong Pursuit

2.4.1. Chinese Learning in Carter's Life

2.4.2. Carter's Initial Interest in the Chinese Language

2.4.3. Changing Directions of Learning

3. Reconstructing a Multilingual Curriculum

Textbooks, Dictionaries, and Study Notes

3.1. Learning Chinese the Chinese Way

3.1.1. Learning Characters

3.1.2. Learning Grammar

3.1.3. Studying Classics and Literature

3.1.4. Learning Mandarin and the Canton Dialect

3.2. From Linguistic Translation to Cultural Translation

3.2.1. The Illustrations: A Repurposed Chinese Textbook for Learning European Writing Systems

3.2.2. The Dialogues/A Guide to Chinese Society and Business Ethics

3.3. Entering the Chinese World: Carter's Chinoiserie Letter to Conseequa

4. Chinese Instructors and Their Anglophone Students

A Reappraisal

4.1. Learning Chinese in Canton and Macao

4.1.1. Western Students under the Canton System

4.1.2. Carter's Chinese Instructors

4.2. Abel Yen and His Anglophone Students

4.2.1. Robert Morrison

4.2.2. Benjamin Bowen Carter

4.2.3. Thomas Manning and Other British East India Company Members

4.3. Language Instructor as Diplomatic Translator

4.3.1. Anglo-American Rivalry at Canton

4.3.2. The Secret Negotiations between Yen and Carter

4.3.3. Yen's Translation and Carter's Evaluation

4.4. The American Consul Wishes for an Interpreter

5. Agent of Global Knowledge

Carter in London, Paris, and New York

5.1. Career Ambition: Consul Interpreter

5.1.1. If Carter Had Been Punqua Winchong's Interpreter

5.1.2. Carter Recommends Himself for the Post of Consul Interpreter

5.2. An Early American Encounter with European Sinology

5.2.1. Carter's Impressions of European Sinology

5.2.2. Connections with French Academia

5.2.3. Views on the Term Question and Reference Books on Chinese

5.2.4. Transatlantic Exchanges

5.3. Academic Ambition: University Educator

6. The Rise of American Chinese Studies

Changes in Foreign Policy, Academic Foci, and American Perceptions of China

6.1. Carter's View of China and the Chinese

6.2. American Curiosity about Chinese Knowledge

6.3. The Missionary Roots of the American Sinological Tradition

6.4. The Interpreter as Diplomat

6.5. America's First Course in Chinese Studies

6.6. The Chinese Language: Barrier or Gateway?

6.7. The Treasures in the Cushing Collection

7. Concluding Remarks

Carter in Perspective

7.1. The Origin of Chinese Studies in America: An Alternative Pathway

7.2. Teaching and Learning Chinese in China at the Turn of the Nineteenth Century

7.3. Creation, Exchange, and Circulation of Chinese Knowledge on a Global Scale

7.4. Cross-Cultural Dialogues: Carter, the Canton Dialect, and Contemporary China-America Relations.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Yeung, Man Shun. American pioneer of Chinese Studies in cross-cultural perspective

ISBN:

9789004498952

9004498958

OCLC:

1259584233

Publisher Number:

99989037172