From the Eyes of Transmigrants and Neighbours: The ‘Others’ Navigating Early Modern Empires in Asia

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D Multivocality in Global History

From the Eyes of Transmigrants and Neighbours: The 'Others' Navigating Early Modern Empires in Asia

Event Details

Date

III. Thursday, 11th September, 11:00-13:00
Location
M1051
Theme
D Multivocality in Global History

Convenor

Tak Wai Hung (Waseda University)

Chair

Lok-Yin Law (The Education University of Hong Kong)

Panelists

Victoria S. Zhou (University of Tübingen)
Lok-Yin Law (The Education University of Hong Kong)
Michael Ng (University of Hong Kong)
Ka-Chai Tam (Hong Kong Baptist University)
Tak Wai Hung (Waseda University)

Papers

Victoria S. Zhou
Tak Wai Hung

Between Traditions and Transitions: The Role of Interethnic Marriage in Shaping Batavia Chinese Society before the 19th Century

Between Traditions and Transitions: The Role of Interethnic Marriage in Shaping Batavia Chinese Society before the 19th Century

This paper examines the transformative role of interethnic marriage in shaping the identity and social dynamics of Chinese communities in Batavia (modern-day Jakarta) before the 19th century. Amidst a demographic imbalance, where Chinese men far outnumbered women, intermarriage between Chinese settlers and local women became a prevalent practice. These unions significantly influenced the cultural, social, and religious life of the overseas Chinese, leading to the formation of distinct hybrid identities, particularly among the Peranakan Chinese. Drawing on historical records from the Batavia Kong Koan (Chinese Council) and related sources, this paper explores how interethnic marriages were both a response to and a catalyst for social integration. While Confucian values shaped family structures in China, the unique socio-political landscape of Nusantara demanded pragmatic adaptations, especially in terms of gender roles and family life. As Chinese men married indigenous or mixed-heritage women, they often incorporated local customs and religious practices into their households, creating a blended cultural identity that challenged rigid Confucian ideals. This paper also highlights how colonial policies both restricted and facilitated interethnic unions, with Dutch authorities implementing regulations that complicated these marriages. Despite these challenges, Chinese men and their mixed-heritage descendants played a vital role in maintaining community cohesion while navigating the complex intersections of ethnicity, religion, and colonial rule. By examining the nuances of interethnic marriage, this study offers a deeper understanding of how Batavia’s Chinese community evolved through a process of cultural negotiation, blending tradition with transition. It underscores the importance of women, marriage, and local adaptation in shaping the Chinese diasporic identity in Southeast Asia.
Lok-Yin Law

Remembering Ming through Heroism and Betrayal: Chosŏn Envoys' Narratives of Yuan Chonghuan and Zu Dashou in 18th-19th Century Yŏnhaengnok

Remembering Ming through Heroism and Betrayal: Chosŏn Envoys' Narratives of Yuan Chonghuan and Zu Dashou in 18th-19th Century Yŏnhaengnok

This study examines how Chosŏn envoys traveling to Beijing in the 18th and 19th centuries reconstructed and perpetuated memories of the Ming dynasty through their impressions of two historical figures associated with the Ming-Qing transition: Yuan Chonghuan (袁崇煥, 1584-1630) and Zu Dashou(祖大壽, 1579-1656). Focusing on narratives surrounding these figures in Ningyuan, the paper explores how Chinese historical personalities became catalysts for historical imagination and collective memory among Chosŏn literati. Confronted with the fall of their former suzerain and the rise of the Qing dynasty, these envoys navigated the tension between political reality and cultural ideals. Through detailed analysis of Chosŏn envoys' travelogues to Beijing (Yŏnhaengnok 燕行錄), this research reveals how they not only heroized Yuan Chonghuan's defense but also demonized Zu Dashou's surrender to the Qing. In doing so, they constructed a unique narrative that reinforced their nostalgia for the Ming dynasty. By examining these parallel narratives, this study offers new insights into cultural contacts in Sino-Korean relations and the divergent interpretations of the Ming-Qing transition in East Asia. It demonstrates how historical memory was selectively constructed and maintained to serve contemporary cultural and political needs, shedding light on the complex interplay between diplomatic engagement and cultural identity in early modern East Asia.
Michael Ng

From Global Guards to Global Seditionists - Deporting Indians in early twentieth-century British Asia

From Global Guards to Global Seditionists - Deporting Indians in early twentieth-century British Asia

Once considered a "martial race," Sikh Indians were employed by the British Empire during the late 19th century to guard its global territories, particularly its Asian possessions such as Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Shanghai International Settlement. They served as policemen for the state and guards for European businesses. Sikh Indians enjoyed the status of global British subjects and were able to travel as far as North America in search of employment. However, this global flow of Indian British subjects became a national security threat when the Indian Independence movement began in the 1910s. This paper discusses how the global networks and mobility of Indians, initially designed to protect and support imperial interests, transformed into global threats to the British Empire's presence. It also examines how the imperial state used extralegal measures, including deportation without trial, to curb the wave of independence movements advocated by global British Indians.
Ka-Chai Tam

The Survival of the Ming Legal Elements in East Asian Countries after the Fall of the Ming Regime

The Survival of the Ming Legal Elements in East Asian Countries after the Fall of the Ming Regime

Once the dominating power of East Asia, the Ming Empire was invaded and eventually conquered by the Manchus in mid-17th century. But the legacy of the “August Ming” had survived in its neighboring countries long after the Qing dynasty established in China. Based on the law codes from Joseon Korea, Tokugawa Japan and the Lê Dynasty of Vietnam, this paper explores and compares how the legislators of these non-Chinese codes had adopted the Ming legal elements to cater the specific needs of their respective countries, and why the laws of the former “Heavenly dynasty”, instead of the concurrent Qing codes, were chosen to help maintaining social, economic and political orders in these non-Chinese “Sinosphere” regimes. It also discusses the attitude of the overseas Chinese from the abovementioned countries towards such “Ming arrangement” after the last “domestic Han dynasty” had become a distant memory.

Abstract

This panel explores the varied perspectives and experiences of individuals and groups who lived on the margins or outside the imperial centres of the Chinese, Indian, and British empires during the early modern period. These ‘others’ include legislators, envoys, community leaders, women seeking autonomy, and mercenaries—all of whom, through their unique roles and actions, provide a multifaceted view of the empires’ structures and their impact on those who interacted with them from positions of relative autonomy. By doing so, this panel contributes to the overarching theme of 'Multivocality in Global History' at the Eighth European Congress on Universal and Global History, emphasizing the plurality of voices that shaped, responded to, and negotiated the vast imperial projects in Asia. Historians often focus on the imperial centres, their political elites, and intellectual histories where abundant texts are available in archive and library. This approach risks marginalising the experiences and voices of those whose lives were profoundly affected by, yet not fully integrated into, imperial structures. By centring on these ‘others’—individuals and communities who engaged with empires while maintaining a degree of distance or autonomy—we uncover new insights into how empires functioned and were perceived from the periphery. Our panel includes four presentations, each focusing on a different group of actors who negotiated their identities and fates in relation to the Chinese, Indian, and British empires. Taken together, these case studies illustrate how empires were not monolithic entities but were instead understood, shaped, and challenged by a wide array of voices from within and without. Tam Ka-chai (Hong Kong Baptist University) presents ‘The Survival of the Ming Legal Elements in East Asian Countries after the Fall of the Ming Regime’, examining how Joseon Korea, Tokugawa Japan, and the Lê Dynasty of Vietnam adopted Ming legal codes, revealing the cultural endurance of Ming legal traditions. Law Lok-yin (The Education University of Hong Kong) in ‘Remembering Ming through Heroism and Betrayal: Chosŏn Envoys' Narratives of Yuan Chonghuan and Zu Dashou in 18th-19th Century Yŏnhaengnok’, explores how Chosŏn envoys reconstructed memories of the Ming dynasty, offering insights into Sino-Korean relations during the Qing period. Hung Tak Wai (Waseda University) and Victoria S. Zhou (University of Tubingen) presents ‘Between Traditions and Transitions: The Role of Interethnic Marriage in Shaping Batavia Chinese Society before the 19th Century’, highlighting how Chinese women in Batavia used local legal structures to challenge Confucian norms and assert autonomy. Michael Ng (University of Hong Kong) discusses ‘From Global Guards to Global Seditionists - Deporting Indians in early twentieth-century British Asia’, tracing the shifting role of Sikh mercenaries in British Asia and their transition from imperial protectors to potential threats. Together, these papers align with the theme of Multivocality in Global History by foregrounding the voices of those who lived on the periphery of empire, demonstrating how their actions and perspectives contributed to the shaping of imperial structures.