An eleventh-century view of Chinese ethnic policy: Sima Guang on the fall of Western Jin

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    3 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    At the start of the fourth century, China's Western Jin dynasty (265-317 AD) faced insurrection from non-Chinese ethnic groups that resided as its internal clients. It fell to these barbarian usurpers in 317. Throughout the eleventh century, the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127) felt its sovereignty endangered by foreign states to the north. Parallels between the ethnic policies of Western Jin and Northern Song emerge from the representation of Western Jin's dynastic fortunes that the eleventh-century statesman and historian Sima Guang (1019-1086) offered in his famous chronicle, Zizhi tongjian (A Comprehensive Mirror to Aid Government). The present article takes that text as its focus. It examines the textual and ideological spin that Sima Guang gave his account of fourth-century ethnic tensions. It argues that his characterisation of the barbarians that threatened Western Jin resonated with his response to eleventh-century foreign relations. And it shows that for Sima Guang the integrity of the Chinese imperial state, and even Chinese identity, was at stake.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)235-258
    Number of pages24
    JournalJournal of Historical Sociology
    Volume20
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Sept 2007

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'An eleventh-century view of Chinese ethnic policy: Sima Guang on the fall of Western Jin'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this