Modernity As History Case Study

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Modernity as History: limitations of approaching Chinese history in a Eurocentric Framework
In the last three decades scholars have reconsidered what set Europe off from the rest of the world as the site of state formation and economic changes leading to modern national states and industrialized economies. Europe’s success moved scholars to assess other societies from a European benchmark since there was a presumed view that there was a European-defined path to modernisation and prosperity. The political and economic evolution of East Asia raised serious questions about the Western origins of contemporary political and economic ideas and institutions. With China’s persistent high rates of economic growth, East Asia has once again become a region …show more content…

It is very hard to determine the modernity of a society as there are various aspects to consider. There has been a lot written about East Asian development which features various state interventions and regulations influenced by Confucian ideologies. According to Golden (2006), there were three movements that followed the debate of modernity. The first being the “New Enlightenment” movement whereby it defends the introduction of Western modernity into China; where capitalism is a means of creating free markets, and eliminating Government intervention and promoting democracy. The second “New Left” movement deconstructs Western modernity, criticising the abuse of power and corruption through Chinese economy, society and politics. Lastly, “New Right” movement promotes the “use of the apparatus of the Party State to impose market conditions, without extending transparency and democracy” (page. 20).
Whilst studying Chinese history through a Western modern perspective presents limitations to various facts, it is just as detrimental to view history from a Sino-centric perspective. This essay showcases various arguments towards East and West modernity; ultimately in the near future scholars from both backgrounds will be able to use theories from both aspects to deconstruct Western and Chinese conceptual frameworks more

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