The Boxer Rebellion — In Our Time, Mar. 19, 2009
Very interesting show today (well, broadcast yesterday, but heard today). Listening to scholars of Chinese history discuss a topic, one becomes aware of how ill-served one is by the massive focus on the history of Western civilization during one’s education. The result being that major events and geography in China take longer to grasp than they should. Still, pushing through this, the show provides pathways into the history of China in the late 19th and early 20th century. Call it the period between the Opium Wars and World War 2. One piece that was lacking from the show was a straight timeline of the Boxer Rebellion. This would have been helpful since it was made clear in the show that there wasn’t a lot of coherence to the rebellion itself. No single leader, no single animating issue. And, as pointed out by one of the guests, it was a rebellion that would up being supported by the ruling dynasty.
Guests:
- Frances Wood
- Rana Mitter
- Gary Tiedemann