Imperial Legacies under Colonialism: The Case of China’s Multiple Imperialities

• In Event: 50264 - Legacies of Colonialism

Abstract

While existing post-colonial studies emphasize the enduring impact of colonialism and concentrate on the voices of formerly colonized societies, an emerging literature on post-imperialism shifts the analytic perspective to former empires and emphasizes that colonial legacies are not the sole structural force shaping the present realities of former colonies. Drawing on the frameworks of post-colonialism and post-imperialism, this paper aims to enrich them by introducing the case of China – a former empire that also experienced colonization – which embodies multiple imperialities. This study explores how imperial and colonial legacies interact and jointly shape national identity and modern state-building. We analyze two cases from distinct historical periods to illustrate how imperial and colonial legacies interact in diverse forms and continue to shape China’s self-understanding and nation-building. In the first case, we analyze the evolution of the usage of the words “feudalism”, “empire”, and “colony” in newspapers from 1900 to 1937, a period marked by colonization and China’s transition from a dynastic empire to a modern state. In the second case, we analyze the contemporary Hanfu Movement, where the imperial and colonial experiences are reinterpreted and reimagined in new ways. Challenging the equation of empires solely with Western colonizers and the assumption of the singular identity for colonized countries, we highlight the significance of recognizing multiple imperialities and their complex interplay in shaping national narratives and realities.

Authors

• Simon Yuan Xi, University of Virginia

• Shining Wang, University of Virginia