Antiquarianism and Intellectual Life in Europe and China - Peter N. Miller and François Louis (2012) - Comparing Chinese and European Practices

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[...] Plus, it can give us new keys to understand our own world: for example, some Chinese traditions have influenced Europe and vice versa. The comparison between the 2 cultures can also open a new field of research: there are indeed some differences between the 2 antiquarian movements that can be studied by scholars or researchers willing to explain and understand them. For instance, Lambrecht and Weber were especially interested by the comparison between Chinese and European antiquarianism as they wanted to define more precisely the differences between the 2 models and try to analyze why such divergences exist. [...]

[...] Miller and François Louis (2012) - Comparing Chinese and European Practices 1. How can Chinese antiquarian movement be paralleled to European antiquarianism? The Chinese antiquarian movement, or jinshi xue, has a lot of similarities with European antiquarianism and their evolution is alike on several points. First of all, Chinese and European antiquarianism were both studied by the same groups of people: mostly intellectuals and scholars willing to understand the past and who celebrated antiquities. Moreover, the link with philosophy is present in both countries. [...]

[...] Adding Japan to the discussion on antiquarianism would be very interesting because I feel like the influence and development of Japanese antiquarianism is very different from Europe's and China's. It could therefore make us learn new lessons about the world. On the one hand, philosophically speaking, Japanese antiquarianism isn't influenced by humanism or Confucianism but rather by Zen Buddhism, which focuses on simplicity and the beauty of imperfection. This contrasts with the other approaches seen in Chinese and European antiquarianism. [...]

[...] We can find parallels in Europe, such as during the study of natural history in the 16th and 17th century. What's more, the rise and fall of antiquarianism occurred during the same periods of time in China and Europe. Indeed, in Europe, antiquarianism's Golden age was observed during the Renaissance, which is similar to China, where the antiquarian movement knew a particularly important development under the Song and Ming dynasties (14th century). The interest around antiquarianism was then followed by a period of questioning in both areas of the world, that started in the 17th century. [...]

[...] Indeed, Japan's Meiji Restoration brought about significant changes in how antiquarianism was viewed and practiced, reflecting Western influence in the Asian country. 4. Any other points that interest you, if any. I wished the article talked a little more about contemporary debates around antiquarianism and the place of relics in our societies: indeed, nowadays, there are lots of debates about cultural appropriation, steal of antiquities and the role of museums in this practice. It would have been interesting to link the comparison of Chinese and European antiquarianism with its current controversies and see how both areas deal with these issues. [...]