Crossroads in Middle-Period China: Topic

Middle Period China, often seen as a pivotal point of inflection and transformation, is currently subject to ongoing debate regarding its scope and definition. This graduate course aims to approach literature from this era by moving beyond the traditional framework of Tang-Song literary history. It considers literature a key variable in this historic crossroads and recontextualizes it within the broader landscape of cultural history. This course analyzes primary texts along with topics like periodization, Sino-barbarian discourses, cultural memory, materiality of texts, urban culture, gender politics, etc.