Los Angeles Times Book Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 3 (1982) Winner
Jonathan D. Spence
ジョナサン・D・スペンス
Jonathan D. Spence
Aliases:
Jonathan Dermot Spence / 史景遷 / Shǐ Jǐngqiān
Pen Names:
Shǐ Jǐngqiān（Chinese name used in sinological contexts）,
Jonathan Dermot Spence（Full name / academic publications）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1936-08-11 （Surrey, England）
- Died
- 2021-12-25 （West Haven, Connecticut, U.S.） age 85
- Nationality
- British, American
- Languages
- English, Chinese (research)
- Residence History
- Surrey, England → Cambridge, United Kingdom → New Haven / West Haven area (Connecticut, U.S.)
Career
- Occupations
- Historian, Sinologist, Author, University professor
- Active Years
- 1965-2021
- Affiliations
- Yale University, Clare College (Honorary Fellow), Peking University (Visiting Professor), Nanjing University (Honorary Professor)
- Memberships
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Philosophical Society, British Academy (Corresponding Fellow), American Historical Association
- Influenced By
- Mary C. Wright, Fang Chao-ying, Tu Lien-che
- Influenced
- Sherman Cochran, Robert Oxnam, Pamela Kyle Crossley, Kenneth Pomeranz, Joanna Waley-Cohen, Mark C. Elliott
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clare College, Cambridge | Faculty of History | Department of History | BA | 1956–1959 | United Kingdom |
| Yale University | Graduate School (History) | Department of History | PhD | 1959–1965 | United States |
Clare College, Cambridge
Faculty of History
/ Department of History
Degree:
BA
Period:
1956–1959
Year of Graduation:
1959
Country:
United Kingdom
Served as editor of campus magazine; co-editor of Granta
Yale University
Graduate School (History)
/ Department of History
Degree:
PhD
Period:
1959–1965
Year of Graduation:
1965
Country:
United States
Came to Yale on a Clare–Mellon Fellowship; studied under Fang Chao-ying and Tu Lien-che
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) | — | — | British honours / Order of St Michael and St George | 授与 |
| 1988 | MacArthur Fellowship | — | — | MacArthur Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1979 | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1982 | Los Angeles Times History Prize | The Death of Woman Wang | — | Los Angeles Times | 受賞 |
| 1983 | Vursel Prize (American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters) | — | — | American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters | 受賞 |
| 1985 | Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences | — | — | American Academy of Arts and Sciences | 選出 |
| 1993 | Elected Member of the American Philosophical Society | — | — | American Philosophical Society | 選出 |
| 1997 | Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy | — | — | British Academy | 選出 |
| 2010 | Jefferson Lecture (Library of Congress) | — | — | Library of Congress | 選出・講演 |
| 2003 | Honorary degree, Oxford University | — | — | University of Oxford | 授与 |
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG)
2001
Organization:
British honours / Order of St Michael and St George
Result:
授与
MacArthur Fellowship
1988
Organization:
MacArthur Foundation
Result:
受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship
1979
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
受賞
Los Angeles Times History Prize
1982
Work:
The Death of Woman Wang
Organization:
Los Angeles Times
Result:
受賞
Vursel Prize (American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters)
1983
Organization:
American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters
Result:
受賞
Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
1985
Organization:
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Result:
選出
Elected Member of the American Philosophical Society
1993
Organization:
American Philosophical Society
Result:
選出
Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy
1997
Organization:
British Academy
Result:
選出
Jefferson Lecture (Library of Congress)
2010
Organization:
Library of Congress
Result:
選出・講演
Honorary degree, Oxford University
2003
Organization:
University of Oxford
Result:
授与
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Search for Modern China
1990 Modern Chinese history (survey) 800 pagesA comprehensive survey of Chinese history from the decline of the Ming dynasty through the late twentieth century, based on Spence's popular Yale course; written for both scholars and general readers.
ModernizationSino-Western encountersRevolution and counter-revolutionPolitical and social change
God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan
1996 Biography / Religious history 400 pagesA biographical study of Hong Xiuquan and the Taiping movement that explores the intersections of religion and politics in nineteenth-century China.
Religion and politicsPopular movements19th-century China
The Death of Woman Wang
1978 Microhistory 240 pagesA microhistorical reconstruction of daily life, law, and society in a seventeenth-century Shandong county, based on local records and cases.
Everyday lifeLaw and societyLocal history
Ts'ao Yin and the K'ang-hsi Emperor: Bondservant and Master
1966 Qing history / Biography 320 pagesAn academic study of court politics in the late 17th and early 18th centuries examined through the relationship between Ts'ao Yin and the Kangxi Emperor.
Qing court historyPower relationsBiographical approach to history
Bibliography
- Ts'ao Yin and the K'ang-hsi Emperor: Bondservant and Master (1966)
- To Change China: Western Advisers in China, 1620–1960 (1969)
- Emperor of China: Self-Portrait of K'ang-Hsi (1974)
- The Death of Woman Wang (1978)
- The Gate of Heavenly Peace: The Chinese and Their Revolution 1895–1980 (1982)
- The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci (1984)
- The Question of Hu (1987)
- The Search for Modern China (1990; later editions)
- Chinese Roundabout: Essays on History and Culture (1992)
- God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan (1996)
- Chinese Century: A Photographic History of the Last Hundred Years (with Annping Chin, 1996)
- The Chan's Great Continent: China in Western Minds (1998)
- Mao Zedong (1999)
- Treason by the Book (2001)
- Return to Dragon Mountain: Memories of a Late Ming Man (2007)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Scholarly yet accessible prose for general readersUse of biographical case studies to illuminate broader history
- Recurring Motifs
- Understanding history through biographySino‑Western encountersRecurring attempts to 'change' China and their frustrations
Health
-
Parkinson's disease不明〜2021年（死去）Affected his health in later years and ultimately contributed to death via complications
Legacy
Jonathan D. Spence broadened Western and scholarly understanding of Qing and modern China through an extensive body of work. Known for biographical approaches and engaging prose, he trained generations of China scholars at Yale and had lasting influence on sinology and public history.
Academic Societies
- American Historical Association
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- American Philosophical Society
Archives
- Papers and related collections held in Yale University Manuscripts & Archives
In Popular Culture
- Works and lectures have been cited or used in documentaries, radio (e.g. Reith Lectures) and public history forums
Quotes
-
History is not just a catalogue of facts but an attempt to understand the past through people's stories.
Source: Reith Lectures (BBC Radio 4, 2008) (2008)
Trivia
- Chinese name Shǐ Jǐngqiān was given by Fang Chao-ying in reference to Sima Qian
- Served as President of the American Historical Association (2004–2005)
- Sterling Professor of History at Yale (1993–2008)
- Naturalized U.S. citizen in 2000