Campus Digest

Chang Chuen Lecture Series examines narratives of Chinese history

Tuesday, 11 April 2023

Professor James Millward of the Georgetown University delivers a lecture to HKBU members. Professor James Millward of the Georgetown University delivers a lecture to HKBU members.
Professor James Millward of the Georgetown University delivers a lecture to HKBU members.

 

The Department of History held the Professor Chang Chuen Memorial Public Lecture Series on 20 March, delivered by Professor James Millward, Professor of the Department of History at the Georgetown University, and a renowned scholar in Chinese history. More than 100 students and faculty members attended the lecture.

Professor Millward presented a thought-provoking analysis of the standard narratives of Chinese history, highlighting the prevailing view of China as a continuous entity since ancient times, and how it achieved its current territorial shape through cultural assimilation rather than military conquest. However, he argued that this view is inaccurate and emphasised that the prevalence of wars, conquests and modern migrations displaced indigenous peoples in China and East Asia. The lecture also examined how the three key concepts in the historiography of China - "Sinicisation", "tribute system" and "Chinese dynasties" - have perpetuated an inaccurate exceptionalism in how we talk about the past and present of peoples and states in geographical China.

Professor Chang Chuen is the late Founding Head of the Department of History. The Lecture Series was established with generous donations from Professor Chang’s family, former students, and colleagues, in memory of his significant contributions to the Department and to the field of history.