The present review article revolves around three different knowledge
practices in the “social” realm of modern China: “linguistic descriptions and
conceptual definitions,” “the reconstruction and transformation of academic
systems and corresponding fields,” and “the practice and impact of knowledge in
everyday life.” These three correspond to the fields of lexical and conceptual
history, knowledge transformation and disciplinary history, and the history of
knowledge practices/control, respectively. By reviewing relevant important
works in recent years, the aim is to delineate the overall characteristics of these
research achievements and further consider two questions. First, how should one
describe the historical experiences of these three aspects and thereby evaluate the
characteristics of the “social” realm as described and explained in this way?
Second, through the comprehensive consideration of these three dimensions, an
attempt is made to explore the multiple understandings of knowledge
transformation since the 19th century by connecting social science knowledge as
the core with relevant individuals, historical events, and significant changes
within and outside academic fields in modern China. In fact, knowledge provides
us with an approach to understanding historical actors and structures. Researchers
should attempt to explore the specific perspectives of analyzing historical
phenomena through the lens of knowledge, rather than simply considering
knowledge as a transparent and neutral object, describing its content and concepts
or exploring its connotations and transformations within social and cultural
contexts. Through the approaches of the “history of knowledge,” this article
attempts to deepen the current understanding and imagination of “the
construction of modern Chinese knowledge” and to further consider the
intertwining interactions between social science knowledge and the “social”
realm in the transformation processes of modern China.