Overview

China in the German Enlightenment examines the connections between eighteenth-century philosophy, German Orientalism, and the origins of modern race theory. Over the course of the eighteenth century, European intellectuals shifted from admiring China as a utopian place of wonder to despising it as a backwards and despotic state. That transformation had little to do with changes in China itself, and everything to do with Enlightenment conceptions of political identity and Europe's own burgeoning global power. China in the German Enlightenment considers the place of German philosophy, particularly the work of Leibniz, Goethe, Herder, and Hegel, in this development. Beginning with the first English translation of Walter Demel's classic essay ""How the Chinese Became Yellow,"" the collection's essays examine the connections between eighteenth-century philosophy, German Orientalism, and the origins of modern race theory.

Full Product Details

Author:   Bettina Brandt ,  Daniel Purdy
Publisher:   University of Toronto Press
Imprint:   University of Toronto Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.80cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.320kg
ISBN:  

9781487545550

ISBN 10:   148754555
Pages:   224
Publication Date:   17 January 2022
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Temporarily unavailable  
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Table of Contents

Introduction Daniel Purdy and Bettina Brandt 1. How the Chinese became Yellow: A Contribution to the Early History of Race Theories Walter Demel 2. Leibniz on the Existence of Philosophy in China Franklin Perkins 3. Leibniz between Paris, Grand Tartary, and the Far East: Gerbillon’s Intercepted Letter Michael C. Carhart 4. The Problem of China: Asia and Enlightenment Anthropology (Buffon, de Pauw, Blumenbach, Herder) Carl Niekerk 5. Localizing China: Of Knowledge, Genres, and German Literary Historiography Birgit Tautz 6. Eradicating the Orientalists: Goethe’s Chinesisch-deutsche Jahres- und Tageszeiten John K. Noyes 7. China on Parade: Hegel’s Manipulation of His Sources and His Change of Mind Robert Bernasconi 8. Neo-Romantic Modernism and Daoism: Martin Buber on the Teaching as Fulfillment Jeffrey S. Librett

Reviews

'The volume as a whole and each individual essay will inspire future scholarly interest in the German reception of China.' -- Weijia Li * <em>Monatshefte </em> * 'The book collects eight remarkably coherent essays by historians, philosophers, and Germanists... After reading these well-crafted essays, we cannot help feeling the gratification afforded by new historical knowledge.' -- Chenxi Tang * <em>The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory</em> * This collection of essays by both older and newer voices in Asian-German studies does an excellent job of illuminating both 'the problem of China' and 'the problem of Europe' from the seventeenth century to the twenty-first. It will undoubtedly spur on new and, hopefully, equally productive responses. -- Nicolas A. Germana * <em>University of Toronto Quarterly </em> *

Author Information

Bettina Brandt is a Teaching Professor of German and Jewish Studies at Penn State University. Daniel Leonhard Purdy is a professor of German Studies at Penn State University.

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