“Modernity” continues to be a useful historiographical tool, however, it is tension-laden both theoretically and empirically. Conceptually, “modernity” can denote either a quality (“modern-ness”) or a condition referring to a specific period in history. With regard to empirical research, the essay takes a look at the recent history of China, arguing that although there exists a line between what is modern and what is not (between modernity and its Other[s]), this often appears fuzzy when we look at concrete historical manifestations. Two case studies bear this out: The first looks at the possibility of locating a rural modernity, challenging conventional scholarship that has situated the modern almost exclusively in China’s cities. The second case study elucidates the relationship between “Chinese” and “global” modernity, striking a balance between universalistic and pluralistic understandings of modernity. In sum, the essay shows that it is essential to incorporate the paradoxes inherent in the modern condition into the analytical framework.
History
School
Social Sciences
Department
Politics and International Studies
Published in
International Journal of History, Culture and Modernity
Volume
2
Issue
3
Pages
275 - 301 (27)
Citation
KLEIN, T.E., 2014. How modern was Chinese modernity? Exploring tensions of a contested master narrative. International Journal of History, Culture and Modernity, 2 (3), pp. 275 - 301.
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