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Author:   Liang Cai
Publisher:   State University of New York Press
Imprint:   State University of New York Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.227kg
ISBN:  

9781438448503

ISBN 10:   1438448503
Pages:   288
Publication Date:   02 January 2015
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

"List of Charts and Tables Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Minority as the Protagonists: Revisiting Ru (Confucians) and Their Colleagues under Emperor Wu (141-87 BCE) of the Han Ru, a Minority Group Sources of the Myth 2. A Class Merely on Paper: A Study of ""The Collective Biographies of Ru"" in The Grand Scribe's Records (Shi ji ) Ru Identity Suppressed by Conflicts Transforming ""Ru"" into Confucians Redefining the Principles of Hierarchy 3. An Archeology of Interpretive Schools of the Five Classics in the Western Han Dynasty Fragmented Scholarly Lineages Revising Sima Qian The Emergence and Proliferation of Interpretive Schools Continuity or Disruption Locating the Turning Point 4. A Reshuffle of Power: Witchcraft Scandal and the Birth of a New Class A Fundamental Disjunction The Rise of Ru Officials Witchcraft Scandal and the Birth of a New Class 5. Begin in the Middle: Who Entrusted Ru with Political Power? Huo Guang's Dictatorship and Ru Discourse Techniques of the Classics (jingshu ) and Legitimacy of the Throne Ru Officials under Huo Guang and Emperor Xuan Who Entrusted Ru with Political Power? Conclusion Ru before the Rise of the Ru Empire Recruitment System of the Han Empire Revisited Appendix: Major Official Titles of the Western Han Dynasty Notes Bibliography Index"

Reviews

Through a detailed analysis of the surviving textual evidence, Witchcraft and the Rise of the First Confucian Empire provides a powerful image of the destruction of one order in the last years of the reign of Emperor Wu and the creation of a new elite under Huo Guang. Though these events have already been the subject of at least one detailed English-language study ... the narrower time-frame and more focused narrative in Liang Cai's study provides an even more powerful picture of the enduring aftermath of Emperor Wu's witchcraft trials. - Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society

...a forcefully argued and methodologically innovative study of Western Han political and intellectual history ... Witchcraft and the Rise of the First Confucian Empire is a very welcome contribution to the expanding sophisticated and skeptical historiography concerning the early imperial history in China-the period that laid the foundations for all that came after. - Chinese Historical Review Liang Cai's book is a valuable resource for those who study the intellectual and political history of the Han dynasty, especially the hundred years from Emperor Wu to Emperor Yuan ... this book provides a factual, well-written narrative. Scholars interested in early imperial China will find the quantitative and qualitative approach useful in their own research. - Religious Studies Review Writing in a clear and accessible way that paints a vivid and comprehensive picture of the state of the early Han political system with its variety of political machinations, Cai has produced a well-structured and well-argued monograph that includes detailed notes and a wide range of references in English, Chinese, and Japanese. - The Pomegranate Readers interested in the history of the Han Empire will find this book to be an invaluable addition to the current literature on the topic. It is a must-read for all scholars and students of early imperial period China ... the overall narrative is strong, convincing, and, dare I say, game changing. - Erica Fox Brindley, American Historical Review Through a detailed analysis of the surviving textual evidence, Witchcraft and the Rise of the First Confucian Empire provides a powerful image of the destruction of one order in the last years of the reign of Emperor Wu and the creation of a new elite under Huo Guang. Though these events have already been the subject of at least one detailed English-language study ... the narrower time-frame and more focused narrative in Liang Cai's study provides an even more powerful picture of the enduring aftermath of Emperor Wu's witchcraft trials. - Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society

Author Information

Liang Cai is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Arkansas.

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