East Asia by the Book! CEAS Author Talks ft. Stacie Kent

Event Date: Thursday, May 15 · 4 - 5:30pm CDT

THIS IS AN IN-PERSON EVENT AND WILL NOT BE LIVE STREAMING.

BOOK GIVEAWAY!

Score a FREE copy of Stacie Kent’s book!

The first (4) University of Chicago students (currently enrolled) who register to attend the event will receive their very own copy, compliments of the Center for East Asian Studies! Registrant MUST register using their full name AND UChicago email address and check in on the day of the event. Registrant will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to retrieve their book from CEAS. Due to a possible issue in procuring the book from the publisher in time, books may not be able to be claimed until the day of the event OR after. Only students who register AND check in at the event will be eligible to receive a copy.

ABOUT THE BOOK

In 1842, the Qing Empire signed a watershed commercial treaty with Great Britain, beginning a century-long period in which geopolitical and global economic entanglements intruded on Qing territory and governance. Previously understood as an era of “semi-colonialism,” Stacie A. Kent reframes this century of intervention by shedding light on the generative force of global capital.

Based on extensive research, conducted with British and Chinese government archives, Coercive Commerce shows how commercial treaties and the regulatory regime that grew out of them catalyzed a revised arts of governance in Qing-administered China. Capital, which had long been present in Chinese merchants’ pocketbooks, came to shape and even govern Chinese statecraft during the “treaty era.” This book contends that Qing administrators alternately resisted and adapted to this new reality through taxation systems such as transit passes and the Imperial Maritime Customs Service by reorganizing Chinese territory into a space where global circuits of capital could circulate and reproduce at an ever greater scale.

Offering a deep dive into the coercive nature of capitalism and the historically specific ways global capital reproduction took root in Qing China, Coercive Commerce will interest historians of capital and modern China alike.

To learn more about the book, and to purchase your copy, follow the link below:

https://www.semcoop.com/ingram-0?isbn=9789888876754

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stacie Kent is Assistant Professor of Global History and International Studies at Boston College. Her research examines histories of transnational commerce with China and theorizes the relationship between modern capitalism, coercion and non-economic spheres of life. Prior to joining Boston College she was a Harper-Schmidt Fellow at the University of Chicago. She received her PhD in history from the University of Chicago. Her work has appeared in Critical Historical Studies and Frontiers of History in China.

ABOUT THE DISCUSSANT

Jake Werner is Director of the East Asia Program at the Quincy Institute. His research examines the emergence of great power conflict between the US and China and develops policies to rebuild constructive economic relations. Prior to joining Quincy, Jake was a Postdoctoral Global China Research Fellow at the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, a Harper-Schmidt Fellow at the University of Chicago, a Fulbright Scholar at National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan, and a Fulbright-Hays Fellow at East China Normal University in Shanghai. He received his PhD in history from the University of Chicago.

EAST ASIA BY THE BOOK! CEAS AUTHOR TALKS SERIES

The East Asia by the Book! CEAS Author Talks series showcases CEAS faculty, alumni, and special guests who provide author talks and book launches as a way to engage the broader community in conversations regarding key scholarship on East Asia. This series features a presentation by the author(s) that is often facilitated through conversation with a discussant, following by a question and answer session with the audience. For more information on the series, follow the link here: https://ceas.uchicago.edu/events/east-asia-the-book-ceas-author-talks

SPONSORSHIP

This event is presented in partnership with the Seminary Co-op Bookstores.

PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEOGRAPHY

Please note that there may be photography taken during this educational event by the University of Chicago Center for East Asian Studies for archival and publicity purposes. By attending this event, participants are confirming their permission to be photographed and the University of Chicago’s right to use, distribute, copy, and edit the recordings in any form of media for non-commercial, educational purposes, and to grant rights to third parties to do any of the foregoing.

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