Historical Dilemma of Western Learning (Sinicization)

Author: Wang Mingming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: The core issue of the arguments in the book revolves around the fate of anthropology in China after the "Western Learning Eastward." The content involves the dialectical relationship between the nationality and consistency of anthropology, the "nationalization" of Chinese anthropology, and the "reflective inheritance" of the historical legacy of Chinese anthropology. The author argues that, like overseas anthropology, Chinese anthropology has an academic heritage worth cherishing. The predecessors of Chinese anthropology have offered unique insights into the complex relationship between ethnicity and the nation, rural societies, and the social forms and histories of different ethnic groups. If new anthropological research cannot connect with the arguments of the predecessors, it cannot forge a "Chinese path" in anthropology and can only remain in a state of continuous self-deprecation and even destruction under various names (including "aligning with the international community"). However, the inheritance of academic heritage must also have a reflective connotation. For this reason, the author reflects on several concepts that have had a significant impact on Chinese social sciences in the course of the discussion. The chapter titled "As a World Scheme, 'Tianxia'" (as the seventh chapter) reflects both the author's dual critique of the disciplinary history of Chinese anthropology and proposes a preliminary solution to overcome internal contradictions. This book is a collection of articles on the development of Chinese anthropology. It is divided into seven chapters. Chapter 1 primarily deals with the disciplinary background, basically discussing the "foreign stones" for handling the nationality and consistency of anthropology. Chapter 2 is based on the author's reading of others' works on the history of Chinese anthropology, attempting to explore the primary issue of Chinese anthropology from his own perspective—the nationalization of the discipline. Chapters 3 to 7 focus on different key points, but they all share a common concern with the historical legacy of Chinese anthropology. From the exploration of the relationship between ethnicity and the nation in the early 20th century to the rise of fieldwork anthropology in the 1930s and 1940s, from the theory of Lewis H. Morgan and its "Sinicization" to the issue of "rural Chinese anthropology" in the late 20th century, different chapters narrate reflections on interrelated historical processes in their respective ways. There is a consistent argument throughout the book: like overseas anthropology, Chinese anthropology has a historical legacy worth cherishing. New anthropological research, if it cannot connect with the arguments of the predecessors, cannot forge a "Chinese path" in anthropology. To a large extent, the various writings in the book can be said to have been written precisely to inherit the historical legacy of Chinese anthropology in a reflective manner.