The Human and its Others in Early Modern China

Undergraduate / Graduate

This course explores the ways in which personhood was constituted in early modern China. Focusing on the years 1500-1800-a period marked by commercial expansion, political rupture, ethnic conflict, social fluidity, and literary experimentation-we will ask how the subhuman, the superhuman, and the nonhuman were used to police or subvert traditional hierarchies, to expand or delimit the possibilities of the human and the humane. Areas of discussion will include gods, ghosts, barbarians, women, children, eunuchs, slaves, animals, and things; readings will come from a wide range of sources, including classical tales, unofficial histories, vernacular novels, drama and popular songs, encyclopedias, medical texts, and natural histories. Open to graduate students and advanced undergraduates. Texts available in both English and Chinese; students with Chinese reading ability will be encouraged to read the original.