This course delves into the expressions and practices of cosmopolitanism throughout Chinese and East Asian history, drawing on findings from archaeology, history, art history, architectural history, and literature. By engaging with non-Western perspectives on ‘cosmopolitanism’, we will critically examine biases and indiscriminate applications rooted in the term’s Eurocentric developments. We also reflect on the turn toward more reflexive scholarship in ‘cosmopolitanism’ studies in recent decades and its potential to counteract culturalist approaches, particularly in the study of China and Eurasian history.
- Trainer/in: Annie Chan