Chinese Social History Studies: Development, Problems, and Solutions

Abstract

Since its revival in the mid-1980s, the study of Chinese social history has enjoyed steady growth and prominence as an emerging field. Its development over the past three decades can be roughly divided into three stages. The first is the rejuvenation stage, when “social history” started to gain ground as a new branch of study and developed into regional and cultural histories. The second stage started around the 1990s when the study of “new social history” arose to break away from the old paradigms and establish new approaches for a self-sustained branch of study. Due to its narrowly targeted narrative framework, obscure jargon, and exclusive rhetoric, it was later reduced to new historical research that focused on investigating concepts without due emphasis on revisiting the origin of the study. The third stage featured the rise of historical anthropology, which sprang up in the late 1990s and brought forth new ideas that spread across the country into the twentieth century with extensive influence. Hence, social history, “new social history,” and historical anthropology mark the three different yet connected stages in the development of Chinese social history studies. Each played a significant part in history with a lasting impact on the development of the field and issues raised for further inquiry.