Statecraft and Classical Learning - by Benjamin Elman & Martin Kern (Paperback)

About the Book

Devoted to the ancient Chinese Classic Rituals of Zhou, this book presents a multi-faceted picture of the life of the text from its inception some two millennia ago to its modern political and scholarly discourse across East Asia.

Book Synopsis

Statecraft and Classical Learning is devoted to the Rituals of Zhou, one of the ancient Chinese Classics. In addition to its canonical stature in classical learning, the massive text was of unique significance to the pre-modern statecraft of China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam where it served as the classical paradigm for government structure and was often invoked in movements of political reform. The present volume, with contributions from twelve leading North American, European, and East Asian scholars, is the first in any language to illuminate the Rituals in both dimensions. It presents a multi-faceted and fascinating picture of the life of the text from its inception some two millennia ago to its modern political and scholarly discourse.

About the Author

Benjamin Elman, Ph.D. (1980) in Oriental Studies, University of Pennsylvania, is Professor of East Asian Studies and History at Princeton University. He has published widely on Chinese intellectual history, the history of education, and the history of science in China.
Martin Kern, Ph.D. (1996) in Chinese Studies, Cologne University (Germany), is Professor of East Asian Studies at Princeton University. He has published extensively in the fields of ancient Chinese literature, history, and religion.