Writing Disaster
A Chinese Earthquake and the Pitfalls of Historical Investigation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3193198 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Paul Fuller (0000-0002-4771-4268, University of Manchester, corresponding author), Pierre Fuller |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 80 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 201-217 |
| Publication date | 2015-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | History Workshop Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1363-3554 • E-ISSN: 1477-4569 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/hwj/dbv030 |
| OpenAlex | W2170824283 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 14 |
Gansu was an especially remote section of China for an earthquake to strike and 1920 a particularly chaotic time in the country’s history; consequently, one of the deadliest earthquakes of the twentieth century remains hardly known. In this recounting of his search for materials on the Haiyuan earthquake of December 1920, the author discusses the challenges and risks of piecing together a major event with only fragmentary evidence. When comparing reports produced in the wake of the disaster it became clear that reformist ‘New Culture movement’ intellectuals in Beijing sought to cut from the record local military and gentry relief efforts described in eye witness accounts from Gansu. The New Culture movement, bent on casting Chinese governance at the time as inept and morally bankrupt, was soon co-opted by the Nationalist and Communist parties and shaped official versions of China’s past, including understandings of the 1920 quake. What emerges is a cautionary tale of how the historical record itself is formed, in this case in service of revolutionary goals.
Forensic engineering · Linguistics · Seismology · Disaster Management and Resilience · Engineering · Geology · History · Philosophy · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies
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Soil Erosion Dynamics on the Chinese Loess Plateau in the Last 10,000 Years
Landslide Disasters and Human Responses in China
Geological Disasters in loess areas during the 1920 Haiyuan earthquake, China
The New-Culture Movement in China
The Moslem rebellion in northwest China, 1862 - 1878
Warlord, Social Welfare and Philanthropy
The New Culture Movement Revisited
In the Land of the Laughing Buddha
A Complete Book concerning Happiness and Benevolence
Loess and Rock Dwellings of Shensi, China
Bureaucracy and Famine in Eighteenth-Century China
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,22 |
| Citation span | 2017 - 2024 (8) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |