Prosuming History in China: a Paradigm Shift

Abstract

A diverse and dynamic range of public histories has emerged and rapidly evolved in China during the past two decades. Why do such amateurish, mostly unpaid forms of history possess such a mobilizing effect upon ordinary Chinese people? This article addresses public history in China from the perspective of prosumption, and argues for a new model of historical inquiry from four key respects, i.e., the goal, process, means, and structure. Prosuming history, a fresh social fact, a consciously collective phenomenon, an intricate code system of signs, has initiated a paradigm shift in the field of history in China.