Manchu studies or Manjuristics is an academic discipline concerned with the study of the

Manchu language Manchu ( ) is a critically endangered language, endangered Tungusic language native to the historical region of Manchuria in Northeast China. As the traditional native language of the Manchu people, Manchus, it was one of the official language ...

, the historical texts written in it during the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

(1644–1912), as well as by contemporary

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic peoples, Tungusic East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority in China and the people from wh ...

and

Sibe Sibe may refer to: *Sibe people, an East Asian ethnic group living in China *Xibe language, language of Sibe people * Sibe Mardešić (1927–2016), Croatian mathematician * Nagovisi language, a South Bougainville language spoken in Papua New Guin ...

people. The first treatise on the Manchu language was the ''Elementa linguæ Tartaricæ'' published in Paris in 1696. The foundations of Manchu studies as scholarly discipline date to the 18th century, when diplomatic and trade relations were established between European countries and China's Qing dynasty. The first major centres of Manchu studies were in France and Russia. An important event was the establishment of a chair in "Tartar Languages and Literatures" at the

Collège de France The (), formerly known as the or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment () in France. It is located in Paris near La Sorbonne. The has been considered to be France's most ...

in 1814. The German school had its beginnings in the middle of the 19th century, and by the start of the 20th century it had taken the leading position in Europe. In the period after the fall of the Qing dynasty in the

Xinhai Revolution The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC). The revolution was the culmination of a decade ...

of 1911–1912, Manchu studies disappeared as an academic field of its own, generally becoming subsumed under

Sinology Sinology, also referred to as China studies, is a subfield of area studies or East Asian studies involved in social sciences and humanities research on China. It is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of the Chinese civilization p ...

and

Mongolian studies Mongolian studies or Mongolistics is an interdisciplinary field of scholarly inquiry concerning Mongolian language, Mongolian history, and Mongolian culture. Scholars who work in the field of Mongolian studies are often referred to as Mongolists. ...

. Since the second half of the 20th century it has had a revival as a stand-alone discipline. Manchu studies disappeared from

Mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...

for a while. Today, the Manchu language is taught at universities in China, South Korea and the United States.

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

's Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations is the only institution in North America with a course in the Manchu language. James Bosson was a prominent modern American scholar of Manchu and Mongolian studies.

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* {{asia-studies-stub

See also

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