This last session of the seminar for the year will be devoted to the five statutes of the "market" (shichan 市廛) section of the Qing Code, more specifically to the indictment against the use of "coercive force in transactions" (bachi hangshi 把持行市) , which has the largest number of sub-statutes. It is also one of the more frequently referenced laws from the market section in commercial litigation (as evidenced by its appearance in the Suzhou stele materials as well as the Ba County legal archives).

Under guidance of Maura Dykstra, UCLA Ph. D, we will review the meanings and usage of the notion of coercion (ba chi 把持) in the Ming and Qing codes, Qing legal commentary, and other references and in a small sample of legal case records. Our primary objective will be to develop a dynamic understanding of the use of the concept of coercion in legal practice and thought.