Perspectives on Chinese Studies.docx

Perspectives on Chinese Studies.docx

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PerspectivesonChineseStudies

PerspectivesonChineseStudies

Introduction

IincludewiththesecommentsanearlierstatementpreparedforasimilarworkshopheldlastyearinOctoberatNYU.Theorganizers,includingAngelaZitoandTaniBarlow,requestedastatementoneachparticipant'sresearch,followedbyadiscussionoftheimplicationsofthatresearchforAsianStudiesasawhole.SoIapologizeforthepersonalnatureoftheenclosedstatement.Nonetheless,itdoesprovidesomecontextformycommentstoday,andyoumaywanttolookatitbeforereadingtheseremarks.IshouldnotethatalltheparticipantsattheNYUworkshop,comingsocloselyaftertheterribleeventsofSept11,wereinastateofshock.ThediscussionfocusedonwaystopreventSept.11turningintoacalltoarmsunderthebannerofaclashofcivilizations.Oneofthemostproductiveresponsespeoplethoughtupwastheholdingofaconferenceoneverydaylifeinpost-socialistsocieties-wherethedailystruggles,hopes,anddisillusionmentsoffarmers,miners,workers,andintellectualscouldbeexploredinwaysthatwouldbringoutthecommonhumanityofpeoplesofseveraldifferentcivilizations.Istillthinkthatthatisavaluableidea.AnythingthatcanbedoneundercurrentcircumstancestochallengethepremisesofAmericanexceptionalismandunilateralismisworthwhile.

Aturningpoint

ChineseStudiesisataturningpoint.ThetremendousoutpouringofacademicproductioncomingoutofChinaandTaiwanhasdefinitivelyendedtheeraofthegeneralistinChinesestudies.Butthisonslaughtofmaterials-bothprimaryandsecondary-presentsachallenge.Ratherthansinkintonarrowspecializationsand/ordrownundertheweightofrawdata,Chinesestudiesneedstotransformitself.Nolongercanthegeneralistpretendtomasterall（orenough）ofthedetailsofChinesecivilizationtoproduceaunifiedrepresentationofcomplextotality.ButneithercanChinesestudiesanylongerhidebehindsuchrepresentations,speakingonlywithinclosedrankstofellowspecialists,andrefusingtoengagewithdevelopmentsinotherareasofthehumanities.Chinesestudiesneedstoparticipateonanequalgroundwithotherfields,evenifthatmeansabandoningtheprotectionofregionalstudiesforthemoredauntingtaskofengagingwithdebatesinanthropology,genderstudies,environmentalstudies,medicalhistory,globalhistory,filmtheory,post-colonialandevenpost-moderniststudies.Overthepasttwentyyears,scholarsinChinaandTaiwanhavemadeanimpressiveefforttotranslate,studyandabsorbmajorworksofWesternsinology.Butthetrendnowistogobeyondsinologicalstudiestomorefundamentalsourcesoftheoreticalmodels,tothechallengingworksofGiddens,Foucault,andevenDerrida.Sinologistsmayfindthemselvesleftbehind,asChinesescholarsenterglobaldebatesonthenatureofmodernity,theimpactsofglobalization,thecommodificationofculture,therelationshipbetweenempireandwriting,andthereconceptualizationofChinesehistory.Ofcoursetherewillbeagreatdealofsecond-rateimitationandmis-applicationsoftheseminalideasofthesecontemporarythinkers.ThathasalreadyhappenedintheWesternacademy,andsoitwillcomeasnosurpriseinAsia.Butmorefundamentally,wearewitnessingtheriseofAsianintellectualswhoareengagingthesetheoristsonanequalground,proposingnewunderstandingsofvitalissuesofculturalunderstandingandinteractioninarapidlychangingenvironment.

Chinesestudiesmaystrikeadefensiveposture,andwallowinnewlydiscoveredmaterials,sulkingoveritslackofinvitationstobroaderthematicconferencesinthehumanities.Orwewillhavetotakeupthechallenge,andincorporatetrainingincurrenttheoreticalapproachesintoouralreadyoverburdenedsinologicaltrainingprograms.Butitisnotenoughtorelegatethistheoreticalretoolingtograduatetraining.Theimportantthingistobringoutnewconceptsfromourownresearchthathaveacontributiontomaketohumanisticstudiesingeneral.Notjusttodocumentadifferentcivilization,buttogeneratenewconceptsanddiscovernewproblematicswhichhavewiderimplicationsandopenupnewperspectivesonotherareasofstudy.

Comparativeapproachestoregionalhistory

Sincemyownresearchhasfocusedmostlyonregionalhistory,Iwouldliketomakeafewmethodologicalcommentsonthistopic.Thegreatestchallengeistothinkdifferencedifferently.Tothinkdifferenceallthewaythrough,asapositiveforce.RatherthanstudyingeachregionalcultureofChinaasavariationonagivenmodel,orasaprocessleadingtoandculminatinginintegrationwithinagivenstandardform,wemightseektograsptheunderlyingproblematicsofeachunique,regionalculture,asitisexpressedinaconstantlyexpandingmultiplicityofelements.Chinesestudieshastobreakoutoftheconstraintsofimperiallogic,or,ifitseekstoexploretheseconstraints,itshoulddosocritically.Imperiallogicdictatesthatlocalcultureismerelyavariationofthesame,astruggletoimposetheidentical,ornearenough,ontothedivergent.Itisfarmorechallengingtothinkdifferenceallthewaythroughthetransformationsoflocalcultures,evenifthisresultsinathousandChinasswarmingovertheneatlydrawnbordersofourincreasinglystateoftheartmaps.

LookingbackoverfiftyyearsofChinesehistoricalstudiesintheWest,wecanseetheresearchbeingdrivenbythesources.Earlypost-warstudiesofthe'60sfocusedonnationallevelarchives,includinglistsofdegreeholders,andthestructureofcourtpolitics（followingthedocumentarytrail）.Asprovinciallevelmaterials（memorialsfromfieldadministrators,provincialarchives）begantobestudied,emphasisinthe'70sshiftedtoidentifyingplayersattheprovincialandregionallevels（StrangersattheGate,RebellionanditsEnemies）.Withtheopeningupofdistrictlevelarchives,theemphasisshifteddownwardsagaininthe'80sand'90stotheconcreteworkingsofthesub-administrationofthelocalmagistrates,throughintensivestudyoflegalrecords.UrbanarchivesandcollectionsofepigraphywerealsoexploitedinanexplosionofShanghaistudiesandintheexhaustiveaccountofthetemplesofBeijingbyProf.Naquin.TheuseofepigraphyinProf.Naquin'swork,however,isindicativeofanotherdownwardshifttothelocalneighborhoodorganizationsthatsponsoredcertainaspectsofreligiousritualintheBeijingtemples.Similarly,theabilitytoconductfieldworkinvillagesofChinabeginninginthelate'80sand'90shasledtoanewfocusonlocalculturalhistoryofgeographicallydifferentiatedregionsofChina.Ultimately,thiskindofresearchmakesitpossibletoconceiveofwritingChinesesocialhistoryfromthegroundup-fromtheperspectiveofChinesevillagers,ratherthanfromtheperspectiveofthestate.

Thisinitialresearchhasalreadyledtoseveralimportantsetsofpublications（summarizedinDanielOvermyer,ed.,EthnographyinChinaToday:

ACriticalAssessmentofMethodsandResults,Taipei,Yuan-LiouPublishingCo.,2002）.Wearenowinapositiontobeginstudyingdifferentregionalhistoriescomparatively,inordertobringouttheirdifferencesandsimilarities.Wemustalsocontinuediscussionsofthemethodologiesemployedinthisresearch,inordertoensurethatithastheimpactonthefieldthatitdeserves.TheinvaluabledescriptionsofspecificritualsintheStudiesinChineseRitual,Theatre,andFolkloreshouldbefollowedupwithmoreextensiveresearchintotheregionalculturesthattheseritual-eventsembody.Foreachregionstudied,weneedtohaveanexplanationofwhycertainsiteswerechosen,andothersexcluded.Weneedtohaveanoverallaccountofthehistoricaldevelopmentoflineageformations,templenetworks,ritualtraditions,governmentinstitutions,andeconomicforcesateachstageinthehistoryoftheseregions-howdidtheseinstitutions,networks,andforcesfunctionintheSong,intheMing,andintheQing?

Togetatthesequestions,weneedtoexplainandevaluateoursourcesverycarefully-howreliableareaccountsingenealogiesofearlyoriginsofparticularlineages?

Whoisreportingwhichlegends?

Towhatdegreehavetheiraccountsbeenedited?

OnenotesagrowingawarenessoftheseissuesintheTraditionalHakkaStudiesSerieseditedbyJohnLagerwey.AparticularlyfinevolumeinthatserieswhichcarefullyevaluateshistoricalsourcesalongsidedescriptionsofspecificvillageritualsisLiuJinfeng'svolumeontheGannanregion.

InnovativelocalhistoriesofthePearlRiverdeltaofGuangdong,areunderpreparationbyDavidFaureandhisassociates.SimilareffortsareunderwayinSichuan,Guangxi,NortheastChina,Huizhou,Suzhou,ChaozhouandPutian.NewresearchprojectsaregettingunderwayinNorthChinaandinZhejiang.Conditionswillsoonbeinplaceforproductiveconferencesoncomparativeregionalhistory.Inorderforthisworktobedone,wewillhavetomodifyortransformG.W.Skinner'scentral-placetheoryofeconomicallydeterminedsub-regionsofChina.Anew,comparativeculturalecologywillhavetobedevelopedfortheregionsunderstudy,combiningenvironmentalstudieswithanhistoricalunderstandingoflocalculturalinstitutionsandforces.Differencesofscale,culturallyspecificsensesofplace,localnetworksandritualalliances,willhavetobeincorporatedintothisnewparadigm.

ThisresearchwillbecomplementedbyresearchinelectronicdatabasesprovidingcomprehensivecoverageofmassivecollectionssuchastheSikuquanshu（Ifoundover3120hitsin1789differentjuanforPutian,and5763hitsin3596juanforXinghua）.GIStechnologieswillalsoplayamajo