The Global Chinese?: Chinese Migration, 1567-2007

This proposed new subject seeks to bring a new perspective to our current course offerings at MIT by treating a key aspect of globalization -- human migration -- from the standpoint of the Chinese experience. This subject will, moreover, present students with a historical understanding of this phenomenon, tracing the roots of global Chinese migration back to 1567, the year in which the Chinese Imperial government lifted its ban on private maritime trade. The tremendous global migration of the Chinese since this time has had an enormous impact not only on China itself, but also on the local societies into which the Chinese integrated themselves over the generations. This subject will thus help to elucidate the role that China -- an increasingly important nation in today's world – has played historically in globalization. At the same time, the project will critically interrogate the emergence of a new concept of "Global Chineseness" that has been much touted by the current Chinese government as evidence of China's soft power in a global age.