序章　国際政治と中国

――問いの立て方と方法論をめぐって――

抄録

This article introduces the aims and background of this special volume alongside the contents of each of the articles contained within.

“International Relations and China” is an old, but ever-evolving topic of academic inquiry. This evolution is, of course, a result of scholars’ unbridled commitment to the field, with new avenues being opened up through the posing of direct challenges to received historical narratives, trial and error, fact-finding, and the application of new perspectives and methodologies. China has become one of the key players on the international political stage, and it aims to create its own theoretical paradigms through which to interpret international relations and politics. China has, for example, made significant strides in constructing enormous academic databases that play host to a vast array of content, and these databases have begun to shake up the very way in which China scholars approach their field. What’s more, China has also ramped up its efforts in disseminating alternative forms of discourse on itself, both through the means of public diplomacy and through the distribution of more blatant propaganda.

In this new age of China scholarship we find ourselves in, scholars are exploring original research questions, utilizing previously unavailable resources, and applying new methodologies to challenge our understanding of China in the context of international relations. Firstly, in terms of the field of Chinese history, while more and more historical materials are now accessible to scholars, the research questions set by these very same historians are often influenced by China’s present-day situation. For this reason, historians have struggled to avoid posing questions which are not predicated on some aspect of the China we know today. Secondly, the issue of how to approach the Republic of China, or Taiwan, is one new challenge outlined in several articles featured in this special issue. The ROC/Taiwan is one of the leading players in East Asia and its archives are a fruitful resource for approaching PRC history. Furthermore, newly opened archives in Japan and in local Chinese provincial archives have also brought new research questions into the limelight. Thirdly, it is still difficult to conduct research on post-1980s China, because the majority of historical archives only allow access to content up until the 1970-80s. Each article in this issue challenges our understanding of contemporary China through their respective research questions and methodological approaches. At the same time, however, these articles also demonstrate the problem of doing contemporary Chinese history: primary materials are often scarce and one often stumbles across many challenges when determining what theoretical approach is most apt.