Colonialism, China and the Chinese

This book explores the place of China and the Chinese during the age of imperialism. Focusing not only on the state but also on the vitality of Chinese culture and the Chinese diaspora, it examines the seeming contradictions of a period in which China came under immense pressure from imperial expansion while remaining a major political, cultural and demographic force in its own right. Where histories of China commonly highlight episodes of conflict and subjugation in China’s relations with the West, the contributions to this volume explore the complex spaces where empires and their peoples did not merely collide but also became entangled.

Matthew P. Fitzpatrick is Professor of International History at Flinders University in Adelaide. His research is in the field of German and European history, particularly the history of European imperialism, German liberalism and nationalism. He is also interested in the comparative history of empires, and intellectual history. He is a Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and is working on the Australian Research Council-funded project "Monarchy, Democracy and Empire." Peter Monteath was born in Brisbane and educated in Queensland and in Germany. He has taught previously at The University of Queensland, Griffith University, Deakin University, The University of Western Australia and The University of Adelaide. He has also been Adjunct Professor at The University of St. Louis Missouri and the Technical University of Berlin, where he was an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow. His latest book, Captured Lives (2018), is a study of internment in Australia in both World Wars.