China in the German Enlightenment

China in the German Enlightenment examines the connections between eighteenth-century philosophy, German Orientalism, and the origins of modern race theory.

Bettina Brandt is a Teaching Professor of German and Jewish Studies at Penn State University.
Purdy Daniel :

Daniel Leonhard Purdy is a professor of German Studies at Penn State University.

"This collection of essays by both older and newer voices in Asian-German studies does an excellent job of illuminating both ‘the problem of China’ and ‘the problem of Europe’ from the seventeenth century to the twenty-first. It will undoubtedly spur on new and, hopefully, equally productive responses."

Weijia Li:

‘The volume as a whole and each individual essay will inspire future scholarly interest in the German reception of China.’

Chenxi Tang:

‘The book collects eight remarkably coherent essays by historians, philosophers, and Germanists… After reading these well-crafted essays, we cannot help feeling the gratification afforded by new historical knowledge.’

Peter K.J. Park, University of Texas, Dallas:

"In my opinion, this collection is a major research contribution. Every chapter is a work of original research and original interpretation solidly based on the analysis of primary texts and relevant secondary sources."

David Porter, University of Michigan:

"Brandt and Purdy assemble in this volume a collection of original and incisive essays that wrestle with the complexities of German thinkers’ engagement with philosophical, ethnographic, and material manifestations of ‘China’ over the long eighteenth century. The essays at once complicate and re-invigorate our understanding of China’s pivotal role in the emergent project of European cultural self-fashioning that continues to shape the legacies of Enlightenment."