The Origins of the Boxer Movement

This revised edition is part of the Overseas China Studies series. In this book, Joseph W. Esherick takes Boxer research to new heights through detailed historical sources, a distinctive perspective, and innovative methods. He offers a regional analysis of Shandong’s social and economic structure in the 19th century and traces the historical roots of conflicts between Chinese and Western cultures. In particular, drawing on cultural anthropology, he closely examines folk culture in northwestern Shandong, including temple operas, storytelling, religion, martial traditions, and folk songs. On this basis, he develops a broad historical account, arguing that the “interaction” between the region’s social structure, cultural clashes between China and the West, and its distinctive social and cultural mindset ultimately led to the outbreak of the Boxer Movement.