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 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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Most of my grad students know this already (as it is often one of the first readings I recommend to them), but a book on writing that has greatly influenced the way I write is Eric Hayot's (@ehayot) "The Elements of Academic Style." [1/9] While the book is a trove of sensible advice about various aspects of writing as art and craft, the real gem within, I think I can safely say, is what Hayot calls the "Uneven U." He introduces this concept first in relation to paragraph structure. A premise here is that... [2/9]