China and England
The Preindustrial Struggle for Justice in Word and Image
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd
Published:30th Sep '20
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Hardback£135.00(9781138504035)
This book examines egalitarian social ideals and institutions that arose in preindustrial China and England, and in the process, uncovers China’s forgotten role in the history of social justice debate and legislation during the eighteenth century. Drawing on a wide range of visual and documentary evidence, the author shows that many prominent individuals in both England and China adopted comparable strategies as a logical response to excesses of privilege and arbitrary power, with educated but non-noble persons taking advantage of print culture, a more literate population, an expanded art market, public spaces and other familiar ‘early modern’ developments to interrogate the system of inherited privilege and promote a more meritocratic society. This shared experience created common ground for transformative exchange between the two great traditions during the eighteenth century. By providing a more global account of what we call Western values, the book shows that early modern China and England had far more in common than is normally supposed, and thus challenges claims on the right and the left that the people of China lacked a concept of social justice and that China’s cultural legacy should be treated as exceptional in regard to human rights.
"Powers has written an extraordinary meditation on the labyrinths of thought, both European and Chinese, that have brought us to our present place in history. The great strength of the book lies in demonstrating that the history of liberty is not a closed Western project, but an aspect of human experience that can be calmly and logically approached as much from China as from anywhere else." - Timothy Brook, The University of British Columbia, Canada.
ISBN: 9780367545284
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 1000g
248 pages