English Lessons The Pedagogy of Imperialism in Nineteenth-Century China

James L. Hevia, "English Lessons: The Pedagogy of Imperialism in Nineteenth-Century China"
English | ISBN: 0822331888 | 2003 | 416 pages | PDF | 3 MB
Inserting China into the history of nineteenth-century colonialism, English Lessons explores the ways that Euroamerican imperial powers humiliated the Qing monarchy and disciplined the Qing polity in the wake of multipower invasions of China in 1860 and 1900. Focusing on the processes by which Great Britain enacted a pedagogical project that was itself a form of colonization, James L. Hevia demonstrates how British actors instructed the Manchu-Chinese elite on "proper" behavior in a world dominated by multiple imperial powers. Their aim was to "bring China low" and make it a willing participant in British strategic goals in Asia. These lessons not only transformed the Qing dynasty but ultimately contributed to its destruction.