Earl Miner: New Sinology through comparative literature

The rise of Chinese–Western comparative literature studies, which is part of Eastern–Western comparative literature studies, expanded the focus of comparative literature from the age-old Eurocentrism to one with a more global orientation. This achievement owes considerably to three European and North American scholars: René Étiemble (1909–2002), Douwe Fokkema (1931–2011), and Earl Miner (1927–2004). Given the historical significance of their contributions, it is no exaggeration to regard these three scholars as the Troika from the West in the field of CWCLS. This article’s focus is on Earl Miner and his contribution toward the merge of sinology with comparative literature through a non-Orientalist’s approach that secured an equal opportunity for both Chinese and Western literatures. Earl Miner’s success owes much to the paradigm shifts in sinology that happened in the later half of the twentieth century. These shifts also played a role in the rise of New Sinology.