China, 1850 to the Present

This course is an introduction to the history of modern China, from imperial dynasty to Republic, from Red Guards to red capitalists. Through primary sources in translation, we will explore political and social revolutions, transformations in gender relations and intellectual life, and competing explanations for events such as the rise of the Communist Party and the 1989 democracy movement. Major themes include: the impact of imperialism, tensions between governance and dissent, the rise of nationalism, the political stakes of historical interpretation, and the significance of China's history for its present and future.