Networks of Elites in Mongol Yuan China

Michael Brose
University of Wyoming
History

This paper discusses progress in mapping the networks of elites in Mongol Yuan China. Moving forward from the August2010 workshop in data collection and analysis, it is clear that I need to include both Chinese and non-Chinese social and political elites in my dataset in order to really understand these networks that framed political and intellectual discourse in 13-14th Century China. To that end, I have collected data on this wider set of individuals, focusing on the attributes of (1) ethnic identity, (2) location, (3) office or position title, (4) start date, (5) end date. Since returning from the initial workshop I have begun a collaboration with a geographer at University of Wyoming, Professor Steve Prager, who specializes in network analysis. Thus, part of this paper reports on the progress of this collaboration. Initial data analysis indicates thatChinese and non-Chinese personnel circulated in mutual networks that were organized around key political or intellectual figures in Mongol Yuan China. In contrast to my initial assumptions, these networks were not configured mainly around ethnic lines, but around location and office-holding attributes.


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