In order to understand modern China, we must understand the changes that have shaken its cultural foundations and profoundly transformed the country with a speed unrivaled in recent world history. The term “modern” in this sense is more than a chronological marker but a new conceptualization of the self and the world. This seminar will explore the rationalization and execution of these changes and resistance to them in modern China. The course will focus on significant moments of rupture in 20th-century history and explore their political and social implications, particularly the context of revolution and utopia. We will then examine literary reflections of this context that center on the construction of modernity and the narrative of its discontent.
Required Reading
Jin, Ha. Waiting: A Novel. Vintage, 2000. ISBN-10: 0375706410.
All other readings will be uploaded to the secure site Box@UA and the link will be shared with students closer to the beginning of the course.
Meet Your Instructor
DIAN LI is Professor, Department of East Asian Studies. He received his Ph.D. in Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Michigan and then taught at Iowa State University before joining the University of Arizona Department of East Asian Studies in 1999. He is the author of two books and many essays and articles on modern Chinese poetry, fiction, and films.
Location
POETRY CENTER
Dorothy Rubel Room
1508 E Helen
Tucson, AZ 85721
United States
Located on the SE corner of Helen Street and Vine Avenue, one block north of Speedway and three blocks west of Campbell Ave.
