Joseph Levenson and the possibility for a dialogic history

Madeleine Yue Dong*, Ping Zhang

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

In contrast to the criticism that his work represents a Euro-centric view of China, we argue that Joseph Levensons understanding of China involves a third dimension-Judaism-at the level of his historical perspective and methodology. Built on in-depth analysis of Levensons work, in particular his Confucian China and Its Modern Fate, as well as his unfinished yet profound writings on Judaism and Jewish history, we find that his understanding of Jewish tradition plays a crucial role in his analysis of the history of modern China. We argue that what Levenson practiced was a historical methodology that we name "dialogic history." We believe that dialogic history provides us a potential answer to the question of how we can understand another culture without being imperialists, essentialists, or Orientalists. Dialogic history is also history in action because when this kind of dialogue is conducted, a new space can be created in which history is no longer a one-sided monologue.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-24
Number of pages24
JournalJournal of Modern Chinese History
Volume8
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2 Jan 2014

Keywords

  • Confucian China and Its Modern Fate
  • Joseph R. Levenson
  • Judaism
  • comparative history
  • dialogic history
  • modernity
  • tradition

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Joseph Levenson and the possibility for a dialogic history'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this