1982/01/01 by Arif Dirlik
Social Sciences · #China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance #Chinese history and philosophy
paper · doi:10.1177/009770048200800103
openalex publication_date 1982/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2025/11/06
The recent revival of historical studies in China has been accompanied by the resurrection of certain long-standing problems in Chinese Marxist historiography. Once again, scholars have turned to discussion of problems such as the dating of the transition from slavery to feudalism, the origins or sprouts of capitalism in Chinese history, and even the problem of China as an Asiatic Society, dormant since the mid-1930s. This article discusses one of these problems in Chinese historiography: the problem of the sprouts of capitalism or, in its broader context, the problem of the transition from feudalism to capitalism in Chinese history.' The problem is one of crucial significance for understanding the historical dynamics of Chinese society, as well as China's interaction with the West over the past few centuries. It is also important because of its general theoreti-