Overview
New and ambitious approaches to contemporary China, informed by perspectives taken from civilizational analysis and the specific concept of social imaginaries. This collection of essays by some of today's most prominent scholars on Chinese society, culture, and philosophy offers unusually comprehensive perspectives on contemporary China—a ""broad way to China."" Most of the essays are informed by the ambitious and erudite approaches of civilizational analysis developed in the theoretical and empirical lifework of Jóhann P. Árnason. Some authors explore China's long history and enduring philosophical and political traditions, revealing their continued influence on contemporary social imaginaries. Others critique the narrow limitations of most Euro-American views and discussions of China, highlighting how these can be an obstacle to a fruitful dialogue between China and ""the West."" Additionally, some essays present new perspectives on the potential value of Chinese social, political, and philosophical insights, suggesting they could inspire improvements in social, political, and philosophical dialogue within Euro-American cultures themselves.
Full Product Details
Author: Ľubomír Dunaj (Research Fellow, Institute of Philosophy, Czech Academy of Sciences) ,
Geir Sigurðsson (Professor of Chinese Studies and Transcultural Philosophy, University of Iceland)
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Imprint: State University of New York Press
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 2.70cm
, Length: 22.90cm
Weight: 0.567kg
ISBN: 9798855804256
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 01 November 2025
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
College/higher education
,
Professional & Vocational
,
Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Manufactured on demand
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Reviews
""Presenting a variety of perspectives on China, its imaginaries, its Axial Age, and its modernity, Imaginary Worlds and Imperial Power brings a unique approach to a crowded field of East Asian studies and is a significant contribution to the large English-language audience in search of more in-depth studies of China."" — Jeremy C. A. Smith, Federation University Australia
Author Information
L'ubomír Dunaj is Research Fellow at the Department of Political Philosophy and Globalization Research, Institute of Philosophy, Czech Academy of Sciences. He is coeditor, with Jeremy Smith and Kurt Mertel, of Civilization, Modernity, and Critique: Engaging Jóhann P. Árnason's Macro-Social Theory and, with Kurt Mertel, of Hans-Herbert Kögler's Critical Hermeneutics. Geir Sigurðsson is Professor of Chinese Studies and Transcultural Philosophy at the University of Iceland. He is the author of Confucian Propriety and Ritual Learning: A Philosophical Interpretation, by SUNY Press, and coeditor, with Tze-ki Hon, of Contemporary Interpretations and Readings of the Yijing: The Changes in Our Times.
