A 2-Page Outline Of A Paper You Could Write In Response

A 2 Page Outline Of A Paper You Could Write In Response To One Of

Write a 2-page outline of a paper you could write in response to one of the three essay prompts listed below. You are not writing a paper, you are writing down your outline for a paper. You may draw on sources from any of the three modules about China (from the 19th century to present) for this assignment. Modernity Theme It has been an argument of this class that modernity in East Asia has not simply been “Westernization,” a process of implantation into East Asian society of Western values and practices. Rather, we have argued that while Western values and practices have often been used as models or sources, the social transformation known as modernization has been carried out by Asians themselves in accordance with their own agendas.

Write a short essay analyzing how modernity, or the process of modernization, has been understood by specific authors in at least three sources from across the twentieth century. What does it mean to be “modern” or to “modernize”? What elements of society require or have succumbed to modernization? What are the costs of not modernizing (or of modernizing) and who bears them? Who will benefit?

Paper For Above instruction

Outline Title: Understanding Modernity in East Asia: Perspectives from 20th Century Authors

I. Introduction

- Introduce the concept of modernity and its significance in East Asian history, emphasizing the idea that modernization has been a self-directed process rather than mere Westernization.

- State the focus: analyzing how three authors from different periods of the 20th century have understood the meaning of modernity and modernization in China and East Asia.

- Thesis statement: The interpretation of modernity varies among authors, reflecting societal priorities, perceptions of progress, and the costs and benefits associated with modernization.

II. Author 1: Liang Qichao (Early 20th Century)

• Context: Late Qing Dynasty, intellectual responses to Chinese decline and Western influence.
• Understanding of modernity: Liang Qichao viewed modernization as a process of national rejuvenation, emphasizing political reform, science, and education.
• Elements requiring modernization: Political institutions, scientific knowledge, and educational systems.
• Costs of not modernizing: Continued decline, loss of sovereignty, cultural stagnation.
• Who benefits/ bears the costs: The Chinese nation benefits if reform is successful; traditional elites may resist change, bearing the costs of upheaval.

III. Author 2: Chen Duxiu (Mid 20th Century)

• Context: May Fourth Movement and the rise of New Culture Movement, confronting imperialism and feudal traditions.
• Understanding of modernity: Modernization involves embracing science, democracy, and rejecting traditional Confucian values.
• Elements requiring modernization: Cultural practices, social structures, political ideologies.
• Costs of not modernizing: Cultural decay, social stagnation, loss of national strength.
• Who benefits/ bears the costs: The younger generation and intellectuals benefit; traditional elites and conservative factions bear the resistance and upheaval.

IV. Author 3: Fei Xiaotong (Mid to Late 20th Century)

• Context: Post-1949 China, focusing on rural society and social change.
• Understanding of modernity: Modernity involves social transformations that preserve cultural roots while adapting social structures, emphasizing rural modernization and social harmony.
• Elements requiring modernization: Rural economy, social organization, family structures.
• Costs of not modernizing: Rural impoverishment, social fragmentation, loss of cultural identity.
• Who benefits/ bears the costs: Rural communities, nation-building efforts benefit; resistance may harm social cohesion.

V. Comparative Analysis

• Different conceptualizations: modernization as national renewal, cultural reform, social harmony.
• Common themes: modernization involves societal change, but perceptions of what to preserve or reform differ.
• Costs and beneficiaries vary based on societal context: political elites, traditionalists, intellectuals, rural populations.

VI. Conclusion

- Summarize how understanding of modernity has evolved through these authors, reflecting shifting societal values and priorities.

- Highlight that modernization has always involved trade-offs, with winners and losers, depending on social position and historical context.

- Reinforce that in East Asia, modernization has been a complex, self-directed process, not merely Westernization.

References

• Fairbank, J. K. (1992). The Great Chinese Revolution: 1800-1985. Harvard University Press.
• Huang, Ray (1982). "The Search for Modern China." W. W. Norton & Company.
• Liang Qichao. (1915). "On the Reform of China." In Modern Chinese Essays.
• Chen Duxiu. (1919). "The Scientific Spirit." In May Fourth Essays.
• Fei Xiaotong. (1947). "From the Soil: The Foundations of Chinese Society." University of California Press.
• Fung, Y. (1948). "The Great Organizers." Harvard University Press.
• Guo, S. (2011). "Modernity and Tradition in China." Asian Studies Journal, 45(3), 300-315.
• Shen, S. (1985). "Cultural Reform and Social Change." Social Science Quarterly, 66(2), 123-139.
• Dirlik, A. (1994). "Traditional Modernity." Duke University Press.
• Shambaugh, D. (2008). "China's Opening Society: The West's Role." Oxford University Press.