THE BEGINNING OF THE PATH TO SELF-DISCOVERY: A STUDY ON LIANG QICHAO'S CONCEPT OF NATION

In this thesis, I will analyze how Liang Qichao’s idea of nation played a role in the emergence of national identity in China in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The concept of nation in China didn’t emerge from the bottom-up spontaneously. Rather, I will argue, the emergence of Chinese national identity can largely be explained as an imported ideology pursued by Chinese elites. In the formation of the concept of nation in China, not only the contact with the West but also interactions and tensions among the East Asian countries were crucial. This thesis is divided into two interdependent parts. The first part deals with theoretical studies of nationalism and national identity, and it will provide a general picture of the major theoretical trend in nationalism. This part will explore three major perspectives: the primordialist perspective that describes ethnic identities as something fixed and unchanging; the ethno-symbolist perspective that argues that pre-modern ethnic ties are important in understanding the formation of modern nations and nationalism; and the modernist perspective that treats nationalism as a recent phenomenon. Through a critical evaluation of theories of nationalism and national identity, I will begin to discern the contours of how Liang Qichao’s concept of nation was formed. In the second part, by way of introducing nationalist discourses in China, I will explore historical concepts of nation and its boundaries. Since his arrival in Japan, Liang immersed himself in Western political theory and read Japanese authors broadly, and his thoughts changed accordingly. As a result, Liang advocated great nationalism that would awaken a sense of belonging to China in all the peoples of the Qing Empire. In this regard, the introduction of Liang’s borrowed concept of nation to China was a transformative event for Chinese national self-perception.