Final answer:
Pearl S. Buck's parents were missionaries in China, where they contributed to the historical 'civilizing mission' by teaching Christianity and the culture of the imperial home country.
Step-by-step explanation:
Pearl S. Buck's parents were missionaries to China. In the broader context of imperialism, missionaries like Buck's parents played a significant role in what was viewed as a civilizing mission. Imperial powers, with the exception of Japan, utilized missionaries to extend their influence and convert people in their colonies to Christianity, which included regions in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific.
These missionaries established churches and schools, taught the language of the colonizers, and worked to assimilate orphaned or abandoned children into the culture of the home country. Buck herself grew up in China, where her parents worked, and this experience deeply influenced her later writing, including works like The Good Earth, which reflected her insights into Chinese peasant life and the enormous cultural schism between China and the West.