[Dissertation] Writing History Through the Biographical Genre in the Han Dynasty (202 BCE – 220 CE).

Author:
Yuanxin CHEN

School:
Princeton University

Year:
2020

Abstract:

My dissertation focuses on one of the most prominent genres of historical writing in imperial China (221 BCE -1912 CE): biography. The life stories of figures from different social strata were compiled into the largest section of many Chinese dynastic histories: the “Arrayed Traditions” (liezhuan) or the “Traditions” (zhuan). As self-contained accounts devoted to individual lives, these biographies played a significant role in constructing Chinese imperial ideologies. My study traces back to the beginning of this biographical tradition. By focusing on the most important works of early imperial Chinese historiography, the Records of the Historian (Shiji) and the Documents of the Han Dynasty (Hanshu), I address how and why the biographical genre emerged as a prevalent form of narrative history over the course of the Han dynasty. 

My research shows that Han historiographers adopted the biographical genre to transform the ways in which historical knowledge was used in philosophical and sociopolitical debates; to provide balanced evaluations of people based on their qualities and deeds; and to develop diverse causes to explain the successes and failures in individual lives. Moreover, these purposes overlapped with the historiographers’ ambition to construct ideological “landscapes” for the Han dynasty. In particular, by compiling biographies of hundreds of individuals from different walks of life, the historiographers covered an unprecedentedly broad scope of sociopolitical issues. To address these issues, the historiographers evaluated individuals, who were often categorized into archetypes, to establish models of different social roles. They also provided moral justifications for individual successes and failures, which were intertwined with the rise and fall of clans and states, to prescribe ethical principles.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1: Transforming the Discourse of the Past
Chapter 2: Mastering the Art of “Knowing People”
Chapter 3: Prescribing Sociopolitical Norms through Character Evaluation
Chapter 4: Explaining the Ups and Downs in Individual Lives
Chapter 5: Promoting Sociopolitical Principles through the Rhetoric of Moral Causality
Chapter 6: Individuals in the Rise and Fall of Clans and States: Interactions between Biography, Annals, and Genealogy
Conclusion

The Essentials of Governance 貞觀政要

Author:
Wu Jing 吳兢

Editors and Translators: 
Hilde De Weerdt, Glen Dudbridge, Gabe van Beijeren

Publisher: 

Cambridge University Press

Publication date:

January 2021

Abstract:
In the eighth century, Wu Jing selected exchanges between Emperor Taizong and his ministers that he deemed key to good governance. This collection of dialogues has been used for the education of emperors, political elites and general readers ever since, and is a standard reference work in East Asian political thought. Consisting of ten volumes, subdivided into forty topics, The Essentials of Governance addresses core themes of Chinese thinking about the politics of power, from the body politic, presenting and receiving criticism, recruitment, the education of the imperial clan, political virtues and vices, to cultural policy, agriculture, law, taxation, border policy, and how to avoid disaster and dynastic fall. Presented with introductory commentary that offers insights into its historical context and global reception, this accessible and reliable translation brings together ten scholars of Chinese intellectual history to offer a nuanced edition that preserves the organisation, tone and flow of the original.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: The Essentials of Governance from the Reign of Constancy Revealed in Context 

Hilde De Weerdt and David McMullen

Prefaces

Presentation of The Essentials of Governance from the Reign of Constancy Revealed Hilde De Weerdt

Preface to The Essentials of Governance from the Reign of Constancy Revealed Hilde De Weerdt

Volume I; 

1. The Way of the Sovereign Jack W. Chen; 

2. The Organization of Governance Jack W. Chen; 

Volume II; 

3. Employing the Wise Hilde De Weerdt; 

4. Seeking Criticism Hilde De Weerdt; 

5. Accepting Criticism Hilde De Weerdt

Volume III; 

6. Lessons from the Past for Sovereign and Officials Chu Mingkin; 

7. On Selecting Officials Oliver Moor; 

8. On Enfieffment David McMullen; 

Volume IV; 

9. On Determining the Roles of the Crown Prince and the Princes David McMullen; 

10. On Respecting Tutors David McMullen; 

11. Instructing and Warning the Crown Prince and the Princes David McMullen; 

12. Reproving the Crown Prince David McMullen; 

Volume V; 

13. On Humaneness and Righteousness Anthony DeBlasi; 

14. On Loyalty and Righteousness Anthony DeBlasi; 

15. On Filial Piety and Friendship Anthony DeBlasi; 

16. On Impartiality Anthony DeBlasi; 

17. On Sincerity and Trustworthiness Anthony DeBlasi; 

Volume VI; 

18. On Frugality and Moderation Gabe van Beijeren; 

19. On Modesty and Deference Gabe van Beijeren; 

20. On Being Humane and Compassionate Gabe van Beijeren; 

21. Caution in One's Preferences Anna M. Shields; 

22. Caution in Speech Anna M. Shields; 

23. Obstructing Slander and Sycophancy Anna M. Shields; 

24. On Regretting One's Faults Anna M. Shields; 

25. On Profligacy and Recklessness Jack W. Chen; 

26. On Greed and Baseness Jack W. Chen; 

Volume VII; 

27. Honoring Classicist Scholarship Chu Mingkin; 

28. On Literature and History Chu Mingkin; 

29. On Rites and Music Chu Mingkin; 

Volume VIII; 

30. Dedication to Agriculture Tineke D'Haeseleer; 

31. On Punishment and Law Tineke D'Haeseleer; 

32. On Amnesties Tineke D'Haeseleer; 

33. On Tribute Presentations Oliver Moor; 

34. Recognizing the Rise and Fall of Dynasties Hilde De Weerdt; 

Volume IX; 

35. Debates about Punitive Expeditions Tineke D'Haeseleer; 

36. Debates about Pacifying the Borders Tineke D'Haeseleer; 

Volume X; 

37. On Tours Oliver Moor; 

38. On Hunting Oliver Moor; 

39. On Auspicious and Inauspicious Signs Gabe van Beijeren; 

40. On Remaining Vigilant until the End Gabe van Beijeren

Dramatis Personae

(via Hilde De Weerdt)

ReOrienting Histories of Medicine: Encounters along the Silk Roads

Author:
Ronit Yoeli-Tlalim 

Publisher: 
Bloomsbury Academic

Publication date:
January 28, 2021

Abstract:
It is rarely appreciated how much of the history of Eurasian medicine in the premodern period hinges on cross-cultural interactions and knowledge transmissions. Using manuscripts found in key Eurasian nodes of the medieval world – Dunhuang, Kucha, the Cairo Genizah and Tabriz – the book analyses a number of case-studies of Eurasian medical encounters, giving a voice to places, languages, people and narratives which were once prominent but have gone silent.

This is an important book for those interested in the history of medicine and the transmissions of knowledge that have taken place over the course of global history.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: Medical Encounters along the Silk Roads
1. Narrating Eurasian Origins of Medical Knowledge
2. Of Dice and Medicine: Interactions in Central Asian 'Contact Zones'
3. Myrobalans: The Making of a Eurasian Panacea
4. Tibetan Moxa-Cautery from Dunhuang: Practices and Images on the Move
5. Medicine of the Bakhshis: Cross-Pollinations in Buddhist Iran
Afterword