Codes of Modernity: Chinese Scripts in the Global Information Age

Chinese reformers and revolutionaries argued that the Chinese writing system was too cumbersome to learn, blocking communication, mass literacy, and scientific progress. Codes of Modernity explores the global history of Chinese script reforms from the 1890s to the 1980s, arguing that these reforms were at the forefront of an emergent information age. It examines dozens of proposed scripts, including phonetic alphabets, syllabaries, character simplification schemes, Latinization, and pinyin, and considers their transnational framework.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 328 pages
Publication date: 14 November 2023
Publisher: Columbia University Press

In the late 19th century, a profound shift in perspective emerged among Chinese reformers and revolutionaries, who perceived a fundamental flaw within the Chinese writing system. They argued that the Chinese characters, once revered as the cornerstone of civilization for over two millennia, had become cumbersome and impeding communication, mass literacy, and scientific progress. What had once been seen as a symbol of cultural resilience was now perceived as the root cause of an ongoing cultural crisis. Recognizing the urgent need for change, Chinese leaders sought a new script that would enable their country to thrive in the modern world.

Codes of Modernity delves into the global history of Chinese script reforms, spanning from the 1890s to the 1980s. By examining the material conditions and political economy underpinning these efforts, Uluğ Kuzuoğlu sheds light on the role of scripts in the emergence of an information age. In the face of new communications technologies and infrastructures, as well as the demands of industrial, educational, and bureaucratic organizations for efficient information management, reformers sought to engineer scripts as tools to enhance labor efficiency and shape alternative political futures.

Kuzuoğlu explores a wide range of proposed scripts, including phonetic alphabets, syllabaries, character simplification schemes, Latinization, and pinyin. By situating these proposals within a transnational framework, he broadens the geographical boundaries of Chinese script reforms to include American behavioral psychologists, Soviet revolutionaries, and Central Asian typographers, all of whom were engaged in their own endeavors to create new scripts driven by the quest for informational efficiency.

Through the lens of Codes of Modernity, these experiments are brought together to offer fresh perspectives on scripts and reimagine the shared experiences of a global information age. By exploring the complexities and contradictions of script reform, the book challenges traditional narratives and encourages readers to reconsider the role of writing systems in shaping societies, cultures, and societies.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231209397