In Conquest’s Wake: Trauma, Transformation, and Becoming through the Shang-Zhou Transition

In the late second millennium BC, the socio-political landscape of early China underwent a major rupture when the Zhou and their coalition of highland allies conquered the Late Shang state (ca. 1250-1046 BC) at Anyang. Following the fall of Anyang, the Shang people dispersed widely throughout the Western Zhou world (ca. 1046-771 BC). Displaced to new locales with their own complex histories, the Shang people were confronted with the reality of navigating new worlds while simultaneously dealing with the fall of their own. This talk presents an overview of the conquest of the Shang and analyzes the lifeways of the Shang people during the early Western Zhou period. A particular focus is given to the experiences of trauma within Shang communities in the aftermath of the conquest. Through their attempts to adapt and persevere in a time of social transformation, the Shang people significantly impacted the emerging Western Zhou order.