Article Summary and Comments

Thinking About Ethnicity in Early Modern China

The article focuses on the issues that are associated with the historical origins of minority nationalities concepts in China. More to that are the ethnic group's concepts in the West and the impacts of the social and cultural history of modern ethnicity in China. Sinicization made the Chinese culture seem rigid and exclusive and eradicated contacts with other worlds (Crossley 2). The concept of sinicization reflected their charisma which attracted people from other cultures. China’s social history as mobilization has been economic vitality and diversity. The study of China with the questions of imperialism, localism, and popular culture has been directed to the history of the Chinese of the early modern period.

“Speaking Chinese and catering to Chinese tastes could be commercially advantageous, and it is not miraculous that many border peoples with no other very profound interest in Chinese culture adapted in limited ways “(Crossley 4). The Chinese have a unique and interesting language which is rare to find a person who is not of that culture studying and this aspect makes it marketable. Chinese have different and again unique preferences in their meals, learning how to prepare their meals will be advantageous because they live and travel all over the world.

The Modern Origins of Ancient Religions.

The article concentrates on the Greeks, Romans, Mesopotamians, and other people who have a long history concerning an ancient religion. The Greeks and Romans religions were among the earliest Christians whose gods were regarded as demonic minions of Satan. Others believed that the Greek and Roman gods were heroic old humans (Nongbri 2013). There is a great difference between the typical modern conceptions of religion and the ancient religion. The ancient religion seems very strange to the modern notions of religion but their histories are from a similar lineage.

“Like Greek and Roman religions, ancient Mesopotamia religion turns out to be very much a modern entity “(Nongbri 150). The Greeks and Roman religions are the earliest religions to have ever existed and therefore match up to many of their practices. Ancient Mesopotamia religion, on the other hand, came into existence later and therefore the norms were different from the Greek and Roman religions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Pamela Kyle Crossley. “Thinking About Ethnicity in Early Modern China. “Late Imperial

China, 11.1 (June 1990): pp. 1-35.

Brent Nongbri. ”Seven: The Modern Origins of Ancient Religions in Before Religion: A History

of a Modern Concept. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2013, pp. 132-153.