The Biographical Approach to Chinese History: A Symposium: Preliminary Reflections

1962 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 453-455
Author(s):  
Howard L. Boorman
Keyword(s):  
Annual Meeting ◽  
Chinese Society ◽  
Chinese History ◽  
Historical Writing ◽  
Preliminary Assessment ◽  
The West ◽  
Special Position ◽  
Biographical Approach ◽  
The Individual

The distinctive, albeit controversial, role of the individual in history has given rise in the West to the development of biography as a special field of literature and historical writing. In China, the writing of biography has for many centuries also occupied a special position, a position shaped both by the forms and purposes of Chinese historical writing and by the fabric of Chinese society. The papers of this symposium, presented originally at the 1961 annual meeting of the American Historical Association, offer a preliminary assessment of the place of biographical writing in China and may serve to suggest avenues for further fruitful study and research.

Buddhist Monasticism

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Heirman
Keyword(s):  
Social Role ◽  
Chinese Society ◽  
Chinese History ◽  
Combining Data ◽  
Anthropological Fieldwork ◽  
The Buddha ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Buddhist Monasticism

In symbiosis with the laity, Buddhist monasticism has played a major role in the development of Buddhism in China. Starting shortly after the beginning of the Common Era, in the Later Han Dynasty, monasteries developed to become an essential part of Chinese society. Even today, although monastics are less numerous than they used to be throughout most of Chinese history, Buddhist monasteries still have an influential voice. The first monastic activities that scholars focused on were the translation efforts conducted by prominent masters and the pilgrimages undertaken by famous Chinese Buddhist monks. In their travel accounts, monks described the roads both to India and to Southeast Asia and the way they saw the land of the Buddha. The institutionalization of Buddhist monasteries also became an important topic. In historical research, the political and social role of monasteries attracted growing attention. These first studies were very text-oriented. Gradually, other materials were also analyzed, such as archaeological findings, architectural layout, inscriptions, murals, musical instruments, and other artifacts. Over recent years, interdisciplinary research combining data and studies of different fields has been published, and the study of Buddhist monasticism has expanded. It now analyzes the role of Buddhist monastics over a wide area of fields, discussing the impact of monasteries in many, often interacting, contexts: religious, historical, social, political, economic, ethical, and so on. A very new approach, still to be expanded, is based on anthropological fieldwork. The study of monasticism is relatively complex and broad, and source materials are scattered but often pertinent to the particular monastic feature one wishes to study. As far as possible, they have been included in the relevant sections of this article.

The New Technopolitics of Development and the Global South as a Laboratory of Technological Experimentation

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 947-968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Moe Fejerskov
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Global South ◽  
Development Cooperation ◽  
The Political ◽  
The West ◽  
Gates Foundation ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Contemporary Technology

Science and technology have been integral issues of development cooperation for more than sixty years. Contrary to early efforts’ transfer of established technologies from the West to developing countries, contemporary technology aspirations increasingly articulate and practice the Global South as a live laboratory for technological experimentation. This approach is especially furthered by a group of private foundations and philanthrocapitalists whose endeavors in developing countries are, like their companies, shaped by logics of the individual, the market, and of societal progress through technological innovation and experimentation. This article draws upon critical intellectual thought about the political and social ramifications of technology to reflect on the renascent role of technology in development cooperation. It traces the discourses and practices of philanthrocapitalist organizations, in particular the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to understand how their experimentalist technology aspirations influence human life and relations in the Global South. This article argues that this newfound focus on technology in development cooperation may challenge the essence of democracy, reduce participation, and have undesirable consequences for populations in the Global South.

Beyond the Assimilation Fixation: Skinner and the Possibility of a Spatial Approach to Twentieth-Century Thai History

2005 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 184-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Montesano
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
National Level ◽  
Spatial Dimension ◽  
Chinese Society ◽  
Chinese History ◽  
Spatial Change ◽  
Systems Model ◽  
Spatial Dimensions ◽  
Asian History

AbstractG. William Skinner's early work on the Chinese of Thailand anticipated the spatial concerns that he later brought to the study of Chinese history. The present article revisits Skinner's 1957 classic “Chinese Society in Thailand” to highlight its overlooked spatial dimension and its emphasis on the role of Chinese in patterns of spatial change in Thai history. It then applies the formal approaches pioneered in Skinner's work on spatial dimensions of Chinese history to the Thai case. A two-factor regional-systems model for twentieth-century Thailand is developed in explicit imitation of Skinner's modeling of China's “macroregions.” The model illustrates long-term trends toward the tighter integration of Thailand's Bangkok-centered national-level regional system, the importance of numerous patterns of more local spatial change, the significance of extra-systemic influences on the system, and the role of Chinese as significant participants and agents in each of these processes. Results also suggest the need for further work on spatial dimensions of modern Thai and Southeast Asian history and on the role of Chinese as agents of spatial change in the region.

China and “Modernity”: the Uses of the Study of Chinese History in the Past and the Present

1997 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 461-485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harriet Zurndorfer
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Central Feature ◽  
Chinese History ◽  
Historical Writing ◽  
Historical Evidence ◽  
The West ◽  
Social Data ◽  
Central Focus ◽  
The Past

AbstractThe central focus of this paper is the lack of impact Euro-centric theories of development have made on twentieth century historical writing by leading Chinese and Japanese scholars. The author reviews publications by three important historians, Naitō Konan, Liang Ch'i-ch'ao, and Yü Ying-shih, all of whom attempt to locate China's first experience with “modernity” prior to nineteenth or twentieth century encounters with the West. Although all three historians differ in their interpretation of the concept “modernity,” they find Chinese culture a central feature in the identification of this concept. Furthermore, all three writers rely upon historical evidence, in particular economic and social data, to counter claims of China's history as a process of linear development.

scholarly journals НЕОКОНФУЦИАНСТВО В ПЕРИОД «ДВИЖЕНИЯ ЗА НОВУЮ КУЛЬТУРУ»

2019 ◽  
pp. 112-120
Author(s):  
А. Г. Безродный ◽  
Хо Янь
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Revolution ◽  
Political Influence ◽  
Chinese Society ◽  
Chinese History ◽  
Third Wave ◽  
Present Stage ◽  
The West ◽  
Industrial Growth ◽  
The Third ◽  
Stage Of Development

The civilizational core of China is the legacy of the great Teacher - Confucius, with its subsequent modernization in the form of neo-Confucianism. The purpose of the article is to analyze the influence of the “movement for a new culture” on the process of the formation of modern neo-Confucianism, which is an ideological “prolongation” of the “movement of May 4, 1919” significant for Chinese history. Influenced by the ideological ideas of the “movement for a new culture”, Confucianism lost its social and political influence in China at the dawn of the 20th century for many decades. He had to endure an even more devastating blow and persecution during the "cultural" revolution. The foci of development of neo-Confucianism survived only in the academic circles of the West. On the territory of non-continental China (Taiwan), as well as in countries partially affected by Confucianism (Korea, Japan and a number of others). Amazingly, but true. Liberal ideas and Marxism - the main "enemies" of Confucianism, were later successfully "embedded" in the third wave of modern neo-Confucianism. At the present stage of development of Chinese society, Confucianism regards it as an equal ideological system to the dominant Marxism. Thus, it should be noted that neo-Confucianism turned out to be a rather stable and “plastic” social-philosophical system, able to take an “ideological blow” from the outside. Neo-Confucianism offered China a new doctrine of understanding "Man." A person open to the challenges of "postmodern time" with its technological and industrial growth. However, this man is firmly rooted in his historical roots (Confucianism).

scholarly journals Guanxi, Social Capital and Networking

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 226
Author(s):  
Gema I. Sornoza-Parrales ◽  
Adrián O. Macías-Loor ◽  
Adriana Castillo-Merino ◽  
Sandra P. Toala-Bozada ◽  
Mónica del Pilar Quinónez-Cercado ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Chinese Society ◽  
The West ◽  
Central Concept ◽  
Social Exchanges ◽  
Mutual Dependence ◽  
Great Responsibility ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Over Time

<p style="text-align: justify;">This article synthesizes the meaning and importance of Guanxi which is describes as the basic dynamics of personalized networks of influence and constitutes a central concept in Chinese society. Based on their own definitions of relationships, the West usually interprets it as a set of relationships and connections. However, it is much more complicated and intricate. Guanxi is one of the most powerful forces in Chinese culture, encompassing the idea of a complex series of connections of individuals and families with which a person is connected. Guanxi is created and deepened over time and brings with it a great responsibility in terms of social exchanges and favors. Understanding the role of Guanxi in business is very important to develop fruitful relationships in China. The nature of Guanxi reciprocity and the implicit obligations are one of the main reasons why the Chinese are reluctant to embark on deep business relationships with people they do not know. Literally "Guanxi" means the connection between two or more people through a relationship of mutual dependence that includes the realization of reciprocal personal gifts and favors.</p>

School Success and School Engagement of Immigrant Children and Adolescents

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 126-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frosso Motti-Stefanidi ◽  
Ann S. Masten
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
School Engagement ◽  
School Success ◽  
Immigrant Children ◽  
Integrative Model ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
The Individual

Academic achievement in immigrant children and adolescents is an indicator of current and future adaptive success. Since the future of immigrant youths is inextricably linked to that of the receiving society, the success of their trajectory through school becomes a high stakes issue both for the individual and society. The present article focuses on school success in immigrant children and adolescents, and the role of school engagement in accounting for individual and group differences in academic achievement from the perspective of a multilevel integrative model of immigrant youths’ adaptation ( Motti-Stefanidi, Berry, Chryssochoou, Sam, & Phinney, 2012 ). Drawing on this conceptual framework, school success is examined in developmental and acculturative context, taking into account multiple levels of analysis. Findings suggest that for both immigrant and nonimmigrant youths the relationship between school engagement and school success is bidirectional, each influencing over time the other. Evidence regarding potential moderating and mediating roles of school engagement for the academic success of immigrant youths also is evaluated.

Economic and Legal Support for Commercialization of Intellectual Property in Russia

2003 ◽  
pp. 66-76
Author(s):  
I. Dezhina ◽  
I. Leonov
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Property ◽  
The State ◽  
Commercial Application ◽  
The West ◽  
Role Of The State ◽  
Legal Context

The article is devoted to the analysis of the changes in economic and legal context for commercial application of intellectual property created under federal budgetary financing. Special attention is given to the role of the state and to comparison of key elements of mechanisms for commercial application of intellectual property that are currently under implementation in Russia and in the West. A number of practical suggestions are presented aimed at improving government stimuli to commercialization of intellectual property created at budgetary expense.

Role of Transcriptional Read-Through in PRE Activity in Drosophila melanogaster

Acta Naturae ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. V. Elizar’ev ◽  
D. V. Lomaev ◽  
D. A. Chetverina ◽  
P. G. Georgiev ◽  
M. M. Erokhin
Keyword(s):  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Transcription Terminator ◽  
Response Elements ◽  
Polycomb Response Elements ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Multicellular Organisms ◽  
Different Cell Types ◽  
Main Factor

Maintenance of the individual patterns of gene expression in different cell types is required for the differentiation and development of multicellular organisms. Expression of many genes is controlled by Polycomb (PcG) and Trithorax (TrxG) group proteins that act through association with chromatin. PcG/TrxG are assembled on the DNA sequences termed PREs (Polycomb Response Elements), the activity of which can be modulated and switched from repression to activation. In this study, we analyzed the influence of transcriptional read-through on PRE activity switch mediated by the yeast activator GAL4. We show that a transcription terminator inserted between the promoter and PRE doesnt prevent switching of PRE activity from repression to activation. We demonstrate that, independently of PRE orientation, high levels of transcription fail to dislodge PcG/TrxG proteins from PRE in the absence of a terminator. Thus, transcription is not the main factor required for PRE activity switch.

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