20th Century Chinese Historiography Reviews

Author: Wang Xuedian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-03-01
Features: This book is a critical monograph that conducts thematic discussions on the changes in Chinese historiography during the 20th century. The entire book is divided into four groups.
"Paradigms" Group: This section provides a comprehensive scan of the overall evolution of Chinese historiography in the 20th century, arguing that the history of its changes is a conflict between the rise and fall of the two major "paradigms" of "positivism" and "interpretation."
"Currents" Group: This reflects the author's fundamental observations on the development of Chinese historiography in the latter half of the 20th century, especially in the last two decades. The clarification of certain historiographical current changes and the grasp of several historiographical trends may hold pioneering significance.
"Trends" Group: This section tracks and evaluates the "hot" issues in the field of history since the 1990s. Although the articles are short, they require considerable intellectual effort, and some of the author's perspectives are notably sharp.
"Discussions on Historians" Group: Adhering to the principle of "studying historians before studying historiography," the author examines famous historians such as Gu Jiegang, Tong Shuyi, Jian Bozan, and Li She, reflecting on the spiritual state of traditional scholars during the transition between the old and new China, the psychological fear of intellectuals in the mid-to-late 1950s, the experiences of revolutionary scholars before the "Cultural Revolution," and the intellectual struggles of the "new enlightenment" scholars who advocated "liberation of thought" in the new era, especially during the 1980s.