Shifting Boundaries

A Global History of the Monroe Doctrine

Series: 

Author:
Yongle Zhang
Translator:
Huan Zheng
This is a global history of the Monroe Doctrine through a Chinese lens. Delving deep into the evolution of the Monroe Doctrine's discourse and the spatial politics underpinning it, the book meticulously chronicles and dissects how the doctrine has been interpreted over time within the United States, and explores the diverse ways historical actors in Germany, Japan, and China adapted the Monroe Doctrine's discourse to suit their respective local spatial-political imperatives. In an era marked by the rise of multi-polarization, this work offers invaluable historical insights, enabling readers to better understand the complex dynamics between hegemony and autonomy.
Copyright Year:
2026
E-Book (PDF)
Availability:
Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-74623-7
Publication:
08 Apr 2026
Hardback
Availability:
Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-74622-0
Publication:
07 May 2026
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Yongle Zhang received his Ph.D. (2008) from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is an associate professor at Peking University, working on legal history, political history, and intellectual history. He has published six monographs in Chinese and is co-editor of The Constitution of Ancient China (2018).
Contents
Acknowledgements

Introduction “Monroe Doctrine”: the Global Circulation of a Concept of Spatial Politics
 1 Problems, Approaches and Methods
 2 The Monroe Doctrine and the Four Levels of Spatial Politics
 3 Multipolarization and Uncertain Prospects for Global Order
 4 Conclusion

1 Beyond the Western Hemisphere: the Evolution of American Discourse on the Monroe Doctrine
 1 From the “Monroe Doctrine” to “Wilsonianism”: Continuity or Discontinuity?
 2 Returning to Monroe from Wilson?
 3 Conclusion

2 “Katechon” in Central Europe? Monroe Doctrine, Großraum and International Law
 1 From the 19th Century to the First World War
 2 The Decay of European Public Law
 3 The Structural Vulnerability of the Versailles System
 4 The Großraum Order and the New International Law
 5 Conclusion

3 Ambiguous “Resistance”: the Rise of Japan’s “Asiatic Monroe Doctrine”
 1 The Confluence of the Concepts of Asianism and Monroe Doctrine
 2 The First World War and the Vicissitudes of the Japanese Monroe Doctrine
 3 The Full Flowering of the Japanese Monroe Doctrine
 4 Conclusion

4 The Rise of Provincial Monroe Doctrine in China
 1 Fermentation: Three Spatial Aspects of the Monroe Doctrine
 2 The Development of the Provincial Monroe Doctrine after the 1911 Revolution
 3 The Decline of the Provincial Monroe Doctrine
 4 Conclusion

5 The Disenchantment of the Asiatic Monroe Doctrine Discourse
 1 Liang Qichao: Leader of the Disenchantment
 2 Sun Yat-sen: Financial Autonomy and Discursive Autonomy
 3 Chiang Kai-shek: between the US and Japan Monroe Doctrines
 4 The School of Warring States Strategy: the Prospect of Great Powerism
 5 Li Dazhao: Criticism of the Monroe Doctrine towards the Future
 6 Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
This book appeals to a diverse audience: those intrigued by the two-century-long history of the Monroe Doctrine; readers fascinated by the evolution of the global order since the 19th century, as well as the dynamics of regional politics in the Americas, Europe, and East Asia; scholars and students dedicated to American, European, and East Asian studies; and notably, those eager to understand contemporary China's perspective on the global order.
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Publisher:
Brill
Language:
English
Pages:
Approx. 350 pp.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004746237

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