History is a River that Never Stops Flowing——Re-Evaluating the Professional Debate Sparked by Maura Dykstra's Book Uncertainty in the Empire of Routine:The Administrative Revolution of the Eighteenth-Century Qing State
After the publication of Maura Dykstra's monograph Uncertainty in the Empire of Routine:The Administrative Revolution of the Eighteenth-Century Qing State,it caused widespread controversy in international sinology circles.Since George Zhijian Qiao published a long book review in September 2023,several scholars have expressed critical opinions on it,which has prompted the author to write a response and put forward counter-criticism.This article re-examines the views of all parties in this professional debate based on a comprehensive reading of Dykstra's English work,relevant book reviews,and multiple checks of the original materials.The author makes a systematic criticism of the huge differences between the two parties in terms of professional knowledge,methodology,etc.,and attempts to propose different dimensions of thinking on Dykstra's core argument,the administrative revolution of the eighteenth-century,based on relevant historical materials,hoping to stimulate further discussion.
the empire of routine,uncertaintyMaura DykstraGeorge Zhijian Qiaobook review