Prof. Maura Dykstra's Book Symposium

Please join us for a hybrid symposium on Dr. Maura Dykstra's book, Uncertainty in the Empire of Routine: The Administrative Revolution of the Eighteenth-Century Qing State, recently published by the Harvard University Asia Center. Dr. Dykstra's book suggests that the sudden mid-18th-century uptick in corruption across the Qing Empire, often cited as the beginning of the end of the dynasty, can be attributed to another cause altogether: increased reporting about local administrative activities. By reconstructing the reporting system that tied the throne and the bureaucracy to the far-flung territories of the Chinese empire, Dr. Dykstra reveals the untold story of how the imperial court invented its own crisis.

For commentary and discussion, we will be virtually joined by Timothy Brook (University of British Columbia), Mauricio Drelichman (University of British Columbia), Francesca Trivellato (Princeton IAS), Arne Westad (Yale), and Chuck Wooldridge (CUNY, Lehman College).

There will be a reception (2-3pm) in Dabney Gardens to follow.

The in-person event takes place at 110 Dab (Treasure Room). To attend this event virtually, please click here to register.