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The British View of Chinese Civilization and the Emergence of Class Consciousness.

The article presents a discussion related to the British view of Chinese civilization and the emergence of class consciousness. The article seeks to explain why the British view of Chinese civilization changed from one of admiration to contempt in the last decade of eighteenth century. It shows that...

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Published in:Eighteenth Century: Theory & Interpretation Vol. 45; no. 2; pp. 193 - 206
Main Author: Chen, Jeng-Guo S.
Format: Article
Published: University of Pennsylvania Press Summer2004
Subjects:
Chinese civilization
Class consciousness
Social classes
Social perception
China
United Kingdom
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Summary:The article presents a discussion related to the British view of Chinese civilization and the emergence of class consciousness. The article seeks to explain why the British view of Chinese civilization changed from one of admiration to contempt in the last decade of eighteenth century. It shows that the British view of Asian societies articulated in the nineteenth century relied extensively on the language and epistemes of class consciousness. Significantly, the language of class, more than any other factor, sparked a reevaluation of Chinese civilization among British intellectuals.