Global and Regional in China's Nation-Formation

Prasenjit Duara is Director of Research in Humanities and Social Sciences at the National University of Singapore.

• Introduction Part 1: Nationalism and Imperialism 1. The Global and Regional Constitution of Nations: The View from East Asia 2. The Imperialism of "Free Nations": Japan, Manchukuo, and the History of the Present 3. Historical Narratives and Trans-nationalism in East Asia Part 2: Society and Religion 4. Superscribing Symbols: The Myth of Guandi, Chinese God of War Ch 5: Deconstructing China: How Recent is the Chinese nation? 6. ‘Tradition within Modernity’: Women and Patriarchal Regimes in Inter-war East Asia Part 3: China in Comparative Perspective 7. Between Sovereignty and Capitalism: The Historical Experiences of Migrant Chinese 8. Critics of Modernity in India and China 9. Visions of History, Trajectories of Power: China and India since Decolonization

"Prasenjit Duara is one of the few historians who forces us to think in a completely new way about China. From a new idea of what makes up a nation to a profound rethinking of the nature of colonialism, Duara has reshaped the way we think about the Chinese past and its links to the present. This collection of essays showcases a writer who opens up new windows on China and its place in the world." - Rana Mitter, Oxford University, UK, April 2009"The great appeal of this collection is it gives an excellent overview of the many provocative theoretical insights that this major scholar offers in his writing. The Global and Regional in China's Nation-Formation also sketches out a provocative new paradigm for historians of modern China, East Asia and, indeed, the modern world." - Justin Tighe, The China Journal, No. 64, 2010