1st EditionThe Routledge Companion to East Asian HistoriographyEdited By Q. Edward WangCopyright 2026Hardback£230.00ISBN 9781032602691518 PagesDecember 29, 2025 by Routledge DescriptionThe Routledge Companion to East Asian Historiography offers a comprehensive exploration of the rich and dynamic traditions of historical writing in East Asia, tracing their evolution across two millennia. Rooted in the influential Chinese historiographical tradition and enriched by the distinctive contributions of Korean and Japanese scholars, the book examines how these practices have adapted to cultural, political, and intellectual shifts. The volume’s four thematic sections explore the origins and evolution of historical writing, modernity’s transformative impact, and the diverse methodologies shaping contemporary scholarship. Key topics include the establishment of official historiography in imperial China, the innovative practices of the Song dynasty, and the influence of Western ideas and Marxist frameworks from the twentieth century. Emerging areas such as social, environmental, gender, and global history are examined, alongside comparative studies bridging East Asian and Western traditions. From ancient chronicles to modern interpretations shaped by nationalism, Marxism, scientism, and globalization, the volume highlights the interplay between tradition and innovation that defines East Asian historical culture. As the first of its kind, this companion serves as both an essential textbook and scholarly reference for students and researchers interested in East Asian history, global historiography, social history, intellectual history, and postmodernism. Table of ContentsList of Contributors Acknowledgements Comparative Chronology of East Asia General Introduction Q. Edward Wang Part I Traditions and Variations Introduction 1. Sima Qian and the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian): Historicism under the Early Han Empire Vincent S. Leung 2. The Writing of Histories under the Tang (618-907) and Li Zhiji’s Critical Historiography Victor Cunrui Xiong 3. Historiography of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) Tsong-han Lee 4. The Origin, Development, and Characteristics of Ancient Korean Historiography Sun Weiguo and Wu Dongming 5. National Histories and Historical Practices in Premodern Japan Sato Yuki Part II Modern Transformations Introduction 6. Finding a Path to Modernity: Historical Discourses in China, 1895-1949 Tze-ki Hon 7. Modern and Contemporary Japanese Historiography: An Analysis from the Perspective of Tripartite Rivalry Narita Ryūichi 8. The Establishment of Modern Historiography in Korea Do Myounhoi 9. Chinese Revolutions and the Ebb and Flow of Marxist Historiography Q. Edward Wang 10. Continuity and Change in the Historiography of Contemporary Japan: Nation-State and Progressivism (1945-present) Odanaka Naoki 11. Post-1945 South Korean Historiography: A Tapestry of Turbulence and Transformation An Sooyoung Part III Asia and the World Introduction 12. The Study of Ancient Greek Historiography in the Twenty-First Century Lyu Houliang 13. Chinese Scholarship on Feudalism and Medieval Studies Li Longguo 14. The Rise and Transformation of World History in China Xin Fan 15. Chinese Studies of Western Historiography Zhang Yibo 16. Writing American History: Politics, Problems and Prospect (2003-24) Sun Hongzhe 17. From Elite Politics to Grassroots Politics: Studies on the Social History of the PRC Hanchao Lu Part IV New Advances Introduction 18. Historiography of Chinese Gender Bret Hinsch 19. Ming-Qing Historiography in the PRC, Taiwan and Japan since 1949 Puk Wing Kin 20. The Historiography of the Opium War: An International Perspective (2000-2024) Tu Hanzhang 21. Postwar Japanese Diplomacy: An Analysis of Historiographical Developments in Japan Aono Toshihiko and Fujita Goro 22. The Nation and Beyond: Writing National History in ChinaZhang Xupeng 23. Current and Future Horizons of Chinese Environmental History Fei Sheng and James Beattie Glossary and Index Editor(s)BiographyQ. Edward Wang is the inaugural Eminent Professor in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Rowan University and editor of Chinese Studies in History. He has published widely in both English and Chinese on comparative historiography, global history, and Asian cultural and intellectual history. Critics’ Reviews“This corpulent volume duly informs us that the past, in its unmediated state, is often not a matter of mere nostalgia and bathos. It is history, an intellectual endeavor requiring evidence, inventiveness, and empathy, that renders the past intelligible as true insight into the cultural bequest that we owe to our forebears. The Routledge Companion to East Asian Historiography promises to serve as our companionable guide to the multifarious ways in which East Asian historians throughout the ages have confected desiderata from the amorphous pasts into meaningful narratives about the processes and values of human lives.” – On-Cho Ng, Penn State University “This is a valuable contribution to the field that fills a massive hole in our historiographical knowledge.” – Peter Lorge, Vanderbilt University https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Companion-to-East-Asian-Historiography/Wang/p/book/9781032602691
