English Lessons

The Pedagogy of Imperialism in Nineteenth-Century China

Autor: Hevia, James L.
Editor: Duke University Press
ISBN: 9780822331513
eISBN Pdf: 9780822385066
Lugar de publicación: Durham , Estados Unidos
Año de publicación digital: 2003
Mes: Diciembre
Páginas: 416
DDC: 951/.033
Idioma: Ingles

Descripción

Inserting China into the history of nineteenth-century colonialism, English Lessons explores the ways that Euroamerican imperial powers humiliated the Qing monarchy and disciplined the Qing polity in the wake of multipower invasions of China in 1860 and 1900. Focusing on the processes by which Great Britain enacted a pedagogical project that was itself a form of colonization, James L. Hevia demonstrates how British actors instructed the Manchu-Chinese elite on “proper” behavior in a world dominated by multiple imperial powers. Their aim was to “bring China low” and make it a willing participant in British strategic goals in Asia. These lessons not only transformed the Qing dynasty but ultimately contributed to its destruction.

Hevia analyzes British Foreign Office documents, diplomatic memoirs, auction house and museum records, nineteenth-century scholarly analyses of Chinese history and culture, campaign records, and photographs. He shows how Britain refigured its imperial project in
China as a cultural endeavor through examinations of the circulation of military loot in Europe, the creation of an art history of “things Chinese,” the construction of a field of knowledge about China, and the Great Game rivalry between Britain, Russia, and the Qing empire in Central Asia. In so doing, he illuminates the impact of these elements on the colonial project and the creation of a national consciousness in China.

Contents
List of Illustrations and Tables
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
1. Introduction: Imperialism, Colonialism, and China
Part I OpiumWars and Treaties of Peace, Friendship, and Commerce
- 2. The Arrow War, 1856–1860
- 3. Violence and the Rule of Law in China, 1856–1858
- 4. Beijing 1860: Loot, Prize, and a Solemn Act of Retribution
Part II Reterritorializing China, 1861–1900
- 5. Constructing a New Order
- 6. The Qing Empire in the Era of European Global Hegemony
Part III Making China Perfectly Equal
- 7. A Reign of Terror: Punishment and Retribution in Beijing and Its Environs
- 8. Desacralizing Qing Sovereignty, 1900–1901
- 9. Mnemonic Devices: Memorializing the West as Victim and Hero
- 10. The Return of the Repressed, Recirculations, and Chinese Patriotism
Postscript
Bibliography
Index