What might we make of claims of a culture's purportedly inventive past?
In this new article, just out in EASTS, I explore ideas around such a "tradition of invention" that became prevalent in elite and popular discourses in early twentieth century China.
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#histtech
In this new article, just out in EASTS, I explore ideas around such a "tradition of invention" that became prevalent in elite and popular discourses in early twentieth century China.
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#histtech
I argue that proponents took prior inventiveness not only as a technonationalist point of pride but also as an indication that a better future ushered in by technological advances was possible. Yet...
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... their firm focus on past accomplishments would lead many of them to either ignore or downplay ongoing technoscientific developments, reinforcing rather than alleviating the sense of inferiority that prompted their celebration of ancient inventions to begin with.
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Along the way, I tell the story of how the "four great inventions" (四大發明), as the most notable expression of the tradition of invention, came to be, building upon and adding to the work of scholars like Iwo Amelung.
Please DM me if you would like a copy.
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Please DM me if you would like a copy.
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