Performing Power

This volume fundamentally reframes the study of modern Chinese elites by interrogating how elite groups strategically performed power amidst the radical transformations between 1850 and 1949. Moving beyond static typologies of elite status derived from examination degrees or bureaucratic titles, the book foregrounds dynamic practices through which elites maintained and enhanced their influence. Employing interdisciplinary methodologies – including micro-history, computational analysis, network theory, prosopography, and spatial mapping – the contributors provide an innovative account of elite adaptability across multiple domains: education and professional expertise, social mobility and transnational networks, political economy and entrepreneurial activities, and cultural diplomacy with particular attention to gender dynamics and media representation. Each chapter explores how elites navigated shifting socio-political landscapes, continuously converting forms of capital – economic, cultural, symbolic – into sustainable authority. Ultimately, this book demonstrates that understanding elite formation and reproduction requires examining these strategic performances across evolving configurations, significantly reshaping scholarship on modern China and broader elite studies.