Webinars & Presentations
Studying China in Early Modern Europe
In this webinar Yuyuan Zhang, a PhD Candidate in the IU Department of History and Religious Studies, will lead participants through the prehistory of area studies in the West, specifically in Western Europe between the 16th and 18th Centuries. During this period, the study of the world underwent a transition from a Christian, biblical world-historical perspective to an Enlightenment, secular world-historical view. The protagonists in this story are the Jesuits missionaries and Enlightenment philosophers. The changing attitudes towards China, its history, and religions reflect the shift in European intellectual atmosphere. Tracing the early history of studying the East, Yuyuan invites teachers to reflect on how different historical perspectives shape our ways of knowing the world and how we should position ourselves in the K-12 education setting.