ABSTRACT
All the essays in this collection come with the caveat that they are case studies examining situations about specific individuals or families, in very specific locations, and within specific time frames. One cannot simply assume that the experience of one warlord, one militia leader, or one military officer will necessarily be mirrored by others. Nonetheless, to some extent this caveat also supports one of the central themes of the entire book, namely the importance of context and contingency in understanding the role that military force played in influencing and defining social and political power in the emergence of modern China. The goal of these essays, then, is not to draw universal conclusions that can be applied to all military men, even if in similar positions, but rather to develop approaches and frameworks of analysis that can be applied in various contexts to produce a stronger comparative understanding of the complex nature of military force in the determination of social and political power in modern Chinese history.
