On the Trail of Global China

This seminar examines the manifestations and reach of “global China” across the globe and through time. Early sessions examine the historical lineages of global China. We first explore the complex and shape-shifting networks that connected dynastic China with other world regions in the classical period of the Silk Road. We then examine the profound consequence of China’s global linkages in its “long nineteenth century” before following the trail of global China through the Republican, Maoist and early reform periods. The seminar then focuses on the unfolding features of global China in the contemporary period. We examine the impact of global forces and networks on the shaping of China’s modernization pathway before turning to a close examination of the unfolding Belt and Road initiative. We study how China’s “going out” is re-shaping and challenging settled patterns of political, economic and cultural life at different scales and in different global regions.