Some Reflections on the Methodology of the Studies on Missionary Sinology

This article reflects methodologically on the studies of the so-called “missionary Sinology,” which scholars in the past decades have classified as a distinct Sinological category. The author revisits the three issues of Sinological methodology discussed by scholars: whether it is a scientific discipline and the comparison between Old and New Sinology and Object or Method, on the basis of Chinese, Western, Japanese, and Australian Sinologists’ literature. This article highlights the Jesuits’ crucial role and influence in laying the foundation for French academic Sinology, the close connection between Catholic and Protestant missionaries in Chinese studies and the paradigm change in methodology from Prémare’s unified method to differentiated approaches to Chinese studies that have, in modern times, developed into independent disciplines.