Emergence of Civilizational Consciousness in Early China - History Word By Word

This book provides a comparative history of Chinese and European concepts of civilization. Studying how language has been used in the West and China to construct identities and negotiate relationships between a 'civilised self' and 'uncivilised others', it provides a re-examination of the origins and development of these ideas in Old Chinese.

List of contents

Introduction 1. The Coining of Civilizational Consciousness in Modern Western Europe 2. From ‘Awe-Inspiringly Beautiful’ to ‘Morally Refined’— The Coining of ‘Civility’ in Pre-Qín China 3. Coiners and Critics of ‘Civility/Civilization’ (Wén) 4. Inventing the ‘Barbarian’: From ‘Belligerent Others’ to ‘Civilizationally Inferior Others’ 5. Ethnographic Vocabulary of Civilizational Otherness: The ‘Elegant’ ‘Rites’ of the ‘Great Ones’ Versus the ‘Vulgar’ ‘Customs’ of the ‘Barbarians’ Conclusion

About the author

Uffe Bergeton is Assistant Professor of Pre-Tang Chinese Language, Culture and History in the Department of Asian Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. Having a background in both linguistics and ancient Chinese history, he specialises in the study of pre-Qín China.

Summary

This book provides a comparative history of Chinese and European concepts of civilization. Studying how language has been used in the West and China to construct identities and negotiate relationships between a 'civilised self' and 'uncivilised others', it provides a re-examination of the origins and development of these ideas in Old Chinese.

Product details

• Authors: Uffe Bergeton, Uffe (University of North Carolina At Ch Bergeton, Uffe (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Bergeton
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.10.2018
• EAN: 9781138344099
• ISBN: 978-1-138-34409-9
• No. of pages: 229
• Series: Routledge Studies in the Early History of Asia; Routledge Studies in the Early History of Asia
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; History, HISTORY / Asia / General, Asian History