Abstract:
In recent years, many Chinese scholars have rethought the paradigm of national history. Consequently, research on borders and border-crossing history has become increasingly popular. In this context, some scholars argue that the formation of the Chinese nation is not a historically given process but rather the result of interactions between various internal and external factors. With this new, more complex understanding of the Chinese nation, these historians reflect upon the nature of national history, which can be an effective way to transcend it.

Bio:
Zhang Xupeng is Professor at the World History Institute, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing. He is the author of The Theory of Cultural Studies (2014) and co-author of The Philosophy and Theory of Contemporary Western History (2019, forthcoming). His primary research and teaching fields are intellectual history, global history and modern Western historical theory.