Asian history Books

Book SynopsisThe Tang Dynasty (618-907), traditionally regarded as the goldenage of China, was a time of patricians and intellectuals, Buddhist monks and Taoist priests, poetry and music, song and dance. In China''s Golden Age: Everyday Life in the Tang Dynasty, Charles Benn paints a vivid picture of the lifestyle behind the grandeur of the Tang culture. All aspects of day-to-day life are presented, including crime, entertainment, fashion, marriage, food, hygiene, dwellings, and transportation. Attend an ancient feast to celebrate an imperial birthday, where ale was served in elaborate pitchers before a meal of fourteen hors d''oeuvres and twenty-three courses. Learn which colors concubines used for their eye makeup and beauty marks, and what their jealous wives did to discourage such enhancement. See the similarities between today''s pubs and the Tang alehouses, where women were hired to dance and sing to encourage patrons to stay longer and spend more money. Decide for yourself why Yangzhou, a city on the Grand Canal close to the Yangtze River, was considered one of the greatest cities in the Tang Dynasty. Benn translates and paraphrases his classical Chinese sources from the Tang era with fresh and polished prose. He also includes his own illustrations of everything from tools and hairstyles to musical instruments and courtyard dwellings. A history of the rise and fall of the dynasty is presented, as is a look at the societal structure of the aristocracy, bureaucracy, eunuchs, clergy, peasants, artisans, merchants, and slaves. This thorough explanation provides fascinating insight into a culture and time that is often misunderstood by Westerners and brings alive both the everyday routine and the timeless splendor of this intellectually and artistically powerful epoch. Enjoy your journey in China''s Golden Age, and come back to the present with a greater understanding of this amazing time.

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Book SynopsisThe Arabian Frontier of the British Raj is a study of one of the most forbidding frontier zones of Britain''s Indian Empire. The Gulf Residency, responsible for Britain''s relationship with Eastern Arabia and Southern Persia, was part of an extensive network of political residencies that surrounded and protected British India. Based on extensive archival research in both the Gulf and Britain, this book examines how Britain''s Political Resident in the Gulf and his very small cadre of British officers maintained the Pax Britannica on the waters of the Gulf, protected British interests throughout the region, and managed political relations with the dozens of Arab rulers and governors on both shores of the Gulf. James Onley looks at the secret to the Gulf Residency''s effectiveness - the extent to which the British worked within the indigenous political systems of the Gulf. He examines the way in which Arab rulers in need of protection collaborated with the Resident to maintain the Pax BrTrade Review[an] illuminating book... * Peter Clark, Asian Affairs *Conveys a great sense of intellectual excitement in its confident, but careful, rethinking of the British Indian Empire... Onley has the enviable ability to convey a world that has passed to a modern reader. As I read, I felt that I was with these resilient merchant families (enduring the heat!) as they offered their services to the British, generation after generation after generation. * 2001 Malcolm H. Kerr Award Committee *Through the meticulous use of family archives and local as well as British sources, this study succeeds in rescuing from obscurity key local actors in the British imperial system. * 2002 Leigh Douglas Memorial Prize Committee *Meticulously researched, James Onley's work provides an excellent introduction to the informal structures of British imperial rule. The first part, in particular, should be essential reading for any student of British imperial history; it radically readjusts the focus from British imperialists on to the indigenous agents of empire, largely unstudied by historians. * James Canton, Times Literary Supplement *A first-rate study that is of crucial importance not only for work on the Middle East, but also for more general studies of imperialism and, in particular, of informal empire... Onley's study of the indigenous side of informal empire is an important contribution to work on imperialism and deserves widespread attention. * Jeremy Black, History: *well-written and thoroughly researched book ... an engaging and accomplished work * Hala Fattah, Enterprise and Society *[James Onley] has made a major contribution to our understanding of the functioning of the British Empire, as exemplified by the situation in the Persian Gulf in general and in the Bahrain Agency in particular. At the same time, he has given us a much better understanding of Gulf society and culture, which, as in previous centuries, differed from that of the adjacent mainland nations. * Willem Floor, Middle East Journal *James Onley's book is especially welcome. His work, founded on extensive research in both Britain and the Gulf itself, produces incisive conclusions which add greatly to our understanding of British methods of control in the informal empire. * Simon C. Smith, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society *a new and exciting departure in the historiography of the [Persian Gulf] region. In an equally stimulating fashion this book prompts the reader to re-think the historical roots of the contemporary political geography of the region which is usually considered the preserve of Middle Eastern specialists. Onley's book is a remarkable display of bibliographical erudition and knowledge of the subject matter. This study is clearly brilliantly researched...its approach is original and timely and likely to inspire other scholars in the field of regional and imperial history. * Nelida Fuccaro, Reviews in History Online *This is, all told, a very nice book making a very nice point. With enviable resourcefulness, Onley plumbs a range of official and private, metropolitan and colonial archives and a precious set of oral histories to reconstruct the lives and work of his 'invisible agents of empire' (223), generously illuminating the fascinating workings of the Indian empire-within-the-empire along the way." "Onley deserves immense credit for the many useful and convincing findings he has unearthed with his island tale. His most signal achievement remains his painstaking restoration of the full cast and crew behind the illusionary solitary British officer in the Persian Gulf. * Priya Satia, Journal of British Studies *Another superior work of scholarship * Keith Simpson, MP *James Onley's well-researched study maps in great detail and with exemplary clarity how this collaboration [of indigenous elites with the British Indian Empire] came into being in the early modern Persian Gulf. . [It represents] a major step on the path toward integrating Middle Eastern studies into wider theoretical debates. * Rudi Matthee, Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient *this book is an excellent resource for scholars studying the Gulf region and for those interested in British imperialism. Onley has provided us with a unique view of the nineteenth-century Gulf. * Miriam Joyce, American Historical Review *James Onley's painstakingly researched monograph constitutes an important contribution to our understanding of the British Empire in the Persian Gulf and beyond...The book contains much fascinating detail...Onley is to be congratulated for a very well-researched and immensely readable book which will benefit both imperial historians as well as those concerned with the Gulf Area. * Ulrike Freitag, H-Net *a brilliant book by James Onley, which I consider the best piece of Gulf scholarship to appear in many, many years. * Paul Rich, Creating the Arabian Gulf: The British Raj and the Invasions of the Gulf (2009) *Table of Contents1. Introduction ; 2. British India's Informal Empire and Spheres of Influence in Asia and Africa ; 3. British India's Native Agency System in Asia ; 4. The Operation of British India's Native Agency in Bahrain ; 5. British India's Native Agents in Bahrain ; 6. The Decline of British India's Native Agency System in Bahrain and the Gulf ; 7. Conclusion: The Arabian Frontier of the Indian Empire

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Book SynopsisThe Greek Wars treats of the whole course of Persian relations with the Greeks from the coming of Cyrus in the 540s down to Alexander the Great''s defeat of Darius III in 331 BC. Cawkwell discusses from a Persian perspective major questions such as why Xerxes'' invasion of Greece failed, and how important a part the Great King played in Greek affairs in the fourth century. Cawkwell''s views are at many points original: in particular, his explanation of how and why the Persian invasion of Greece failed challenges the prevailing orthodoxy, as does his view of the importance of Persia in Greek affairs for the two decades after the King''s Peace. Persia, he concludes, was destroyed by Macedonian military might but moral decline had no part in it; the Macedonians who had subjected Greece were too good an army, but their victory was not easy.Trade ReviewA thorough reassessment of traditionally held beliefs about Greek-Persian relations...This work joins the serious works on Achaemenid history that scholars must consult * Matthew Walters, Journal of the American Oriental Society *a new book by one of the great figures of Greek history of the last half-century ... is not only highly readable but also provides bracing insights to any number of questions in Greek-Persian relations * Thomas Harrison, Greece and Rome *...revisionist history at its very best...the most insightful and comprehensive analysis to date of Greek and Persian interaction * John Marincola, Classical Journal *Table of Contents1. Introduction ; 2. The subjection of the Greeks of Asia ; 3. 'The lands beyond the sea' ; 4. The Ionian Revolt ; 5. The conquest of Greece ; 6. The war in the East Aegean ; 7. Peace with Athens, 449-412 BC ; 8. The recovery of the Greeks of Asia ; 9. From the King's Peace to the end of the Social War ; 10. The end of the Achaemenids

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Book SynopsisThis volume continues the work of a recent collection published in 2012 by Oxford University Press, Dogen: Textual and Historical Studies. It features some of the same outstanding authors as well as some new experts who explore diverse aspects of the life and teachings of Zen master Dogen (1200-1253), the founder of the Soto Zen sect (or Sotoshu) in early Kamakura-era Japan. The contributors examine the ritual and institutional history of the Soto school, including the role of the Eiheji monastery established by Dogen as well as various kinds of rites and precepts performed there and at other temples. Dogen and Soto Zen builds upon and further refines a continuing wave of enthusiastic popular interest and scholarly developments in Western appropriations of Zen. In the last few decades, research in English and European languages on Dogen and Soto Zen has grown, aided by an increasing awareness on both sides of the Pacific of the important influence of the religious movement and its founTrade ReviewThis book offers many original insights into both Dogen (1200-1253) and the influence of the Soto school that his teachings later inspired... This volume of collected essays by respected academics is another valuable contribution from editor Steven Heine. * Taigen Dan Leighton, Monumenta Nipponica *This excellent volume sheds new and corrective light on Dogen and the Soto Zen tradition. Exploring a rich array of topics- Dogen's views of meditation, women, poetry, and death; his standing as a philosopher; distinctive Soto approaches to texts, precepts, liturgical practices, robes, and monastic architecture-the contributors bridge the divide between textual analyses of Dogen's thought and scholarship on institutional facets of Soto Zen. A must read for anyone with a serious interest in Zen. * Christopher Ives, author of Imperial-Way Zen *Heine is one of the most important Dogen scholars active today ... the volume continues to build on recent trends in Buddhist/Zen studies ... Highly recommended. * G. Wrisley, CHOICE *Table of ContentsContributors ; Acknowledgments ; Abbreviations ; Editor's Introduction: Two for the Price of One - Steven Heine ; Part I. Studies of Dogen ; 1. Dogen's Use of Rujing's 'Just Sit' (shikan taza) and Other Koans - T. Griffith Foulk ; 2. 'Raihaitokuzui' and Dogen's Views of Gender and Women: A Reconsideration - Miriam Levering ; 3. Dogen, A Medieval Japanese Monk Well-Versed in Chinese Poetry: What He Did and Did Not Compose - Steven Heine ; 4. Negotiating the Divide of Death in Japanese Buddhism: Dogen's Difference - John C. Maraldo ; 5. 'When all Dharmas are the Buddha-dharma': Dogen as Comparative Philosopher - Gereon Kopf ; Part II. Studies of Soto Zen ; 6. Keizan's Denkoroku: A Textual and Contextual Overview - William M. Bodiford ; 7. Are Soto Zen Precepts for Ethical Guidance or Ceremonial Transformation? Menzan's Attempted Reforms and Contemporary Practices - David Riggs ; 8. Vocalizing the Remembrance of Dogen: A Study of the Shinpen Hoon Koshiki - Michaela Mross ; 9. Interpreting the Material Heritage of the 'Elephant Trunk Robe' in Soto Zen - Diane Riggs ; 10. Embodying Soto Zen: Institutional Identity and Ideal Body-Image at Daihonzan Eiheiji - Pamela D. Winfield ; Sino-Japanese Glossary ; Index

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a detailed history of Hindu goddess traditions with a special focus on the local goddesses of Andhra Pradesh, past and present. The antiquity and the evolution of these goddess traditions are illustrated and documented with the help of archaeological reports, literary sources, inscriptions and art. Tracing the symbols and images of goddess into the brahmanical (Saiva and Vaisnava), Buddhist, and Jaina religious traditions, the book argues effectively how and with what motivations goddesses and their symbolizations were appropriated and transformed. The book also examines the evolution of popular Hindu goddesses such as Durga and Kali, discussing their tribal and agricultural backgrounds. It also deals extensively with how and in what circumstances women are deified and shows how these deified women cults share characteristics with the village goddesses.Trade ReviewA coherent and convincing thesis on goddess worship...Padma's methodological approach combining anthropology, archaeology, history, and mythology is refreshing and boldly successful...Her synthesis of pre-Vedic, Buddhist, Jaina, Vaisnava, and Saiva material into the framework of village goddess worship enriches her findings and makes her study unique...Her appraisals of on-the-ground religious practices past and present offer much to experts and non-experts interested in a new lens through which to approach Indic religions. * H-NET *In this monumental book, Sree Padma traces the history of village goddess traditions in Andhra Pradesh, India from prehistoric to contemporary times. She engages an impressive array of textual, material, and ethnographic sources to explore both continuities and transformations in goddess cults. This book will change how scholars think about South Asian goddesses. * Tracy Pintchman, Director of International Studies, Loyola University Chicago *Table of ContentsTable of Contents ; Acknowledgements ; Introduction ; 1. Goddess Explained - Perspectives From the West ; 2. Contextualizing the Fertility Goddess and the Gramadevata ; 3. Fertility Symbols of the Goddesses: ; Historical Renderings and Contemporary Practices ; 4. Profiles of Anthropomorphic Goddesses in Myth, Ritual, and History ; 5. Bala Perantalu: ; Auspicious Virgin Mothers ; 6. Perantalu: ; Auspicious Wives ; 7. Deifying Victimized Women: ; Sacrifices and Murders ; Conclusion ; Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThe Oxford Handbook on Early China brings 30 scholars together to cover early China from the Neolithic through Warring States periods (ca 5000-500BCE). The study is chronological and incorporates a multidisciplinary approach, covering topics from archaeology, anthropology, art history, architecture, music, and metallurgy, to literature, religion, paleography, cosmology, religion, prehistory, and history.Trade ReviewIn focusing on early Chinese civilization, this handbook is unique ... The Oxford Handbook of Early China fills a niche for those needing a detailed focus on early Chinese civilization. * R. Withers, CHOICE *This handbook is unique.... [It] fills a niche for those needing a detailed focus on early Chinese civilization. * CHOICE *Authoritative and multidisciplinary in scope, this landmark volume offers a comprehensive overview of the latest research trends, paradigms, and approaches in the study of early China, from the Neolithic era to the Warring States period. * International Convention of Asia Scholars Book Prize 2021, Accolades in the Humanities *Table of ContentsList of Contributors SECTION I INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Introduction and Background to The Oxford Handbook on Early China Elizabeth Childs-Johnson, Old Dominion University SECTION II NEOLITHIC FARMERS, CERAMICS, AND JADE 1. The Neolithic Revolution in the North ca. 7/6000-2000 bce: Xinglongwa, Xinlei, Yangshao, Hongshan, and Related Cultures (Inequality/Social Complexity) in Neolithic Northern China Andrew Womack, Yale University 2. The Neolithic Revolution in the South, ca. 7/6000-2000 bce, Majiabang, Hemudu, Daxi, and Songze Cultures Xiangming Fang, Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology 3. The Neolithic Jade Revolution in Northeast China Chung Tang, Shandong University, Mana Hayashi Tang, Washington University in St. Louis, Guoxiang Liu, Institute of Archaeology, CASS and Yadi Wen, Southern University of Science and Technology 4. The Jade Age Revisited, ca. 3500-2000 bce Elizabeth Childs-Johnson, Old Dominion University 5. Liangzhu Culture and the Ancient City of Liangzhu Bin Liu, Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology 6. Longshan Culture Issues: Taosi and Cosmology Nu He, Institute of Archaeology, CASS SECTION III FIRST DYNASTY OF THE BRONZE AGE: XIA PERIOD 7. Introduction to the Xia Period: Definitions, Themes, and Debate Hong Xu, Institute of Archaeology, CASS 8. Settlements, Buildings, and Society of the Erlitou Culture Hong Xu, Institute of Archaeology, CASS, and Xiang Li, University of Pittsburgh 9. The Bronze-Casting Revolution and the Ritual Vessel Set Hong Xu, Institute of Archaeology, CASS, and Xiang Li, University of Pittsburgh 10. The Spread of Erlitou yazhang to South China and the Origin and Dispersal of Early Political States Chung Tang, Shandong University and Fang Wang, Jinsha Site Museum SECTION IV THE FIRST HEIGHT OF THE BRONZE AGE: THE SHANG PERIOD 11. The Cultural and Historical Setting of the Shang Jonathan Smith, Christopher Newport University, with Yuzhou Fan, Nanjing University 12. Early and Middle Shang Periods Guoding Song, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences 13. Shang Belief and Art Elizabeth Childs-Johnson, Old Dominion University 14. Shang Bronze-Casting Technology and Metallurgy Issues Changping Zhang, Wuhan University 15. Late Shang Ritual and Residential Architecture at Great City Shang, Yinxu in Anyang, Henan Elizabeth Childs-Johnson, Old Dominion University 16. Late Shang: Fu Zi [Fu Hao] and M5 at Xiaotun Dingyun Cao, Institute of Archaeology, CASS SECTION V THE SECOND HEIGHT OF THE BRONZE AGE: THE WESTERN ZHOU PERIOD 17. Western Zhou Cultural and Historic Setting Maria Khayutina, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich 18. Western Zhou Government and Society Paul Nicholas Vogt, Indiana University 19. Western Zhou Rites and Mortuary Practice (Inscriptions and Texts) Constance A. Cook, Lehigh University 20. Bronze Vessels: Style, Assemblages, and Innovations of the Western Zhou Period Yan Sun, Gettysburg College 21. Bells and Music in the Zhou Scott Cook, Yale-NUS College SECTION VI THE THIRD HEIGHT OF THE BRONZE AGE: SPRINGS AND AUTUMNS PERIOD 22. Historical Background during the Springs and Autumns Period Yuri Pines, Hebrew University of Jerusalem 23. Historiography, Thought, and Intellectual Development during the Springs and Autumns Period Yuri Pines, Hebrew University of Jerusalem 24. Cultures and Styles of Art during the Springs and Autumns Period Xiaolong Wu, Hanover College SECTION VII THE IRON AGE-WARRING STATES PERIOD 25. The Warring States Period: Historical Background Yuri Pines, Hebrew University of Jerusalem 26. Iron Technology and Its Regional Development during the Eastern Zhou Period Wengcheong Lam, Chinese University of Hong Kong 27. Institutional Reforms and Reformers during the Warring States Period Yuri Pines, Hebrew University of Jerusalem 28. Change and Continuity at the Intersection of Received History and the Material Record during the Warring States Period Charles Sanft, University of Tennessee 29. The Army, Wars, and Military Arts during the Warring States Period Albert Galvany, The University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU 30. The Shi, Diplomats, and Urban Expansion during the Warring States Period Andrew Meyer, Brooklyn College 31. Confucius, Mencius, and Their Daoist-Legalist Critics Moss Roberts, New York University 32. Mozi Vincent S. Leung, Lingnan University 33. Mohism and the Evolving Notion of Jian Ai Carine Defoort, University of Leuven 34. Chu Religion and Art John S. Major, Independent Scholar, and Elizabeth Childs-Johnson, Old Dominion University 35. The Artistic Revolution in the Warring States Period Jie Shi, Bryn Mawr College Index

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Book SynopsisIt is common for survivors of ethnic cleansing and even genocide to speak nostalgically about earlier times of intercommunal harmony and brotherhood. After being driven from their Anatolian homelands, Greek Orthodox refugees insisted that they ''lived well with the Turks'', and yearned for the days when they worked and drank coffee together, participated in each other''s festivals, and even prayed to the same saints. Historians have never showed serious regard to these memories, given the refugees had fled from horrific ''ethnic'' violence that appeared to reflect deep-seated and pre-existing animosities. Refugee nostalgia seemed pure fantasy; perhaps contrived to lessen the pain and humiliations of displacement.Before the Nation argues that there is more than a grain of truth to these nostalgic traditions. It points to the fact that intercommunality, a mode of everyday living based on the accommodation of cultural difference, was a normal and stabilizing feature of multi-ethnic societies. Refugee memory and other ethnographic sources provide ample illustration of the beliefs and practices associated with intercommunal living, which local Muslims and Christian communities likened to a common moral environment. Drawing largely from an oral archive containing interviews with over 5000 refugees, Nicholas Doumanis examines the mentalities, cosmologies, and value systems as they relate to cultures of coexistence. He furthermore rejects the commonplace assumption that the empire was destroyed by intercommunal hatreds. Doumanis emphasizes the role of state-perpetrated political violence which aimed to create ethnically homogenous spaces, and which went some way in transforming these Anatolians into Greeks and Turks.Trade ReviewAs a compelling reconstruction of a vanished time and place this book is sure to appeal to anyone interested in the history of intercommunal relations in the Ottoman Empire. * George Vassiadis, History Today *...a fluent and theoretically informed book that brings to life how Christian and Muslim lived together just before they entered the valley of death. * Dimitris Livanios, English Historical Review *eloquently, historiographically and critically ... [a] remarkable book. * Meltem Toksöz, Mediterranean Historical Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Curse of Babel ; 2. Ottoman belle epoque ; 3. People of God I ; 4. People of God II ; 5. Catastrophes ; Epilogue ; Bibliography

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Book SynopsisHailed as a pithy and compelling account of an intensely relevant topic (Kirkus Reviews), this wide-ranging volume offers a superb account of a key moment in modern U.S. and world history. Drawing upon the latest research in archives in China, Russia, and Vietnam, Mark Lawrence creates an extraordinary, panoramic view of all sides of the war. His narrative begins well before American forces set foot in Vietnam, delving into French colonialism''s contribution to the 1945 Vietnamese revolution, and revealing how the Cold War concerns of the 1950s led the United States to back the French. The heart of the book covers the American war, ranging from the overthrow of Ngo Dinh Diem and the impact of the Tet Offensive to Nixon''s expansion of the war into Cambodia and Laos, and the final peace agreement of 1973. Finally, Lawrence examines the aftermath of the war, from the momentous liberalization--Doi Moi--in Vietnam to the enduring legacy of this infamous war in American books, films, and poTrade Review"Crisply concise.... Delves into the 'whys' of the war: why the Vietnamese fought against the United States, why the great powers were involved, why the war turned out as it did and why legacies of the war linger."-Philip Seib,Dallas Morning News"[A] succinct history of a frustrating war that raised several painful issues America's leaders are now encountering for a second time.... A pithy and compelling account of an intensely relevant topic."-Kirkus Reviews"Distills the US's longest war into a short, readable narrative.... This brief summary of the tangled negotiations that prolonged the suffering caused by the war is perhaps Lawrence's most valuable contribution, since it covers an area that more extensive histories overlook.... A valuable addition to any academic library.... Essential."-C.C. Lovett, CHOICE"The book lives up to its brief and accessible billing...."-Publishers Weekly"In an elegant, almost elegiac prose style, Mark Lawrence takes us through the history of the Vietnam War in a narrative that transcends the usual focus on Vietnam and the United States. There is no other one volume history of the war that so thoroughly captures the war as an event in world history."-Marilyn B. Young, author of The Vietnam Wars, 1945-1990"A succinct and persuasive account of the Second Indochina War in its global context. At a time when the current U.S. involvement in Iraq evokes uneasy memories of America's controversial 'war of choice' in Vietnam, Mark Lawrence's thoughtful analysis of that previous conflict is highly welcome."-William J. Duiker, author of Ho Chi Minh: A Life"It takes skill to condense a massive subject into a concise, entertaining, and accessible book. This is what Mark Atwood Lawrence accomplishes in his 224 page book The Vietnam War: A Concise International History.... This book might be even more attractive than the larger volumes on the subject because it is succint and focuses on the primary issues of the war."-Shelton Woods, ResourcesTable of ContentsINTRODUCTION; FURTHER READING

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Book SynopsisIn this groundbreaking collection of essays edited by Steven Heine, leading scholars of Buddhism from both sides of the Pacific explore the life and thought of Zen Master Dogen (1200-1253), the founder of the Japanese Soto sect. Through both textual and historical analysis, the volume shows Dogen in context of the Chinese Chan tradition that influenced him and demonstrates the tremendous, lasting impact he had on Buddhist thought and culture in Japan. The essays provide critical new insight into Dogen''s writings. Special attention is given to the Shobogenzo and several of its fascicles, which express Dogen''s views on such practices and rituals as using supranormal powers (jinzu), reading the sutras (kankin), diligent training in zazen meditation (shikan taza), and the koan realized in everyday life (genjokoan). Dogen: Textual and Historical Studies also analyzes the historical significance of this seminal figure: for instance, Dogen''s methods of appropriating Chan sources and his roTrade ReviewSteven Heine has for decades been one of the West's leading scholars in Dogen studies, publishing translations of Dogen's poetry, reflecting on Dogen's philosophy and setting straight the historical record on Dogen. In recent years, many new translations of Dogen's writings have appeared and scholarly publication in the field of Dogen studies has grown dramatically. To bring order to this new scholarship, Heine has brought together in this volume an impressive collection of state-of-the-art essays from leading Dogen scholars. They represent the leading edge in new textual and historical research in Dogen studies. * Victor Sogen Hori, author of Zen Sand *This well-conceived volume includes numerous essays that will serve the study of Dogen far into the future. * Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Dogen Studies on Both Sides of the Pacific ; Part I. Textual Studies ; 1. William M. Bodiford - Textual Genealogies of Dogen ; 2. Steven Heine - What's On the Other Side? Delusion and Reality in Dogen's 'Genjokoan' ; 3. T. Griffith Foulk - Just Sitting? Dogen's Take on Zazen, Sutra Reading, and Other Conventional Buddhist Practices ; 4. Steven Heine - A Day in the Life: Dogen's View of Chan Lineages and Practices in 'Gyoji ; 5. Taigen Dan Leighton - Dogen's Approach to Training in Eihei koroku ; Part II. Historical Studies ; 6. Ishii Sh?do - An Evaluation of Dogen Zen from the Perspective of Song Chan ; 7. Albert Welter - Zen Syncretism: An Examination of Dogen's Zen Thought in Light of Yongming Yanshou's Chan Teaching in the Zongjing lu ; 8. Carl Bielefeldt - Disarming the Superpowers: The abhijna in Eisai and Dogen ; 9. William M. Bodiford - Remembering Dogen: Eiheiji and Dogen Hagiography ; 10. Ishii Seijun - New Trends in Dogen Studies in Japan ; Notes ; Glossary ; Index

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Book SynopsisThis volume brings together experts in the history of the ancient Mediterranean and early China and presents a series of comparative case studies on clearly defined aspects of state formation in early eastern and western Eurasia, focusing on the process of initial developmental convergence.Trade Reviewan admirable demonstration of the great potential that lies in comparative analysis of the Greco-Roman world and Ancient China. * Hyun Jin Kim, Bryn Mawr Classical Review31/10/2012 *Table of ContentsCONTRIBUTORS; CHRONOLOGY; INTRODUCTION; BIBLIOGRAPHY; INDEX

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Book SynopsisShanghai Sanctuary assesses the plight of the European Jewish refugees who fled to Japanese-occupied China during World War II. This book is the first major study to examine the Nationalist government''s policy towards the Jewish refugee issue and the most thorough and subtle analysis of Japanese diplomacy concerning this matter. Gao demonstrates that the story of the wartime Shanghai Jews is not merely a sidebar to the history of modern China or modern Japan. She illuminates how the Jewish issue complicated the relationships among China, Japan, Germany, and the United States before and during World War II. Her groundbreaking research provides an important contribution to international history and the history of the Holocaust. Chinese Nationalist government and the Japanese occupation authorities thought very carefully about the Shanghai Jews and how they could be used to win international financial and political support in their war against one another. The Holocaust had complicated rTrade ReviewGao Bei paints a fascinatingly intricate picture of the political forces and fluxes which ultimately contributed to the arrival of these Jewish refugees in Shanghai. ... The author has a keen eye for detail and also provides the reader with an elaborate overview of various Chinese and Japanese personalities who directly and indirectly facilitated the entry of these Jewish refugees into Shanghai. * Felicia Yep, Journal of JRAS *Gao offers a valuable contribution to the field in for the first time presenting a synopsis of both the Chinese and Japanese policies towards Jewish refugees * Thoralf Klein, Bulletin of the German Historical Institute, London *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ; Introduction ; Chapter 1: Chinese and Japanese Perceptions of the Jews ; Chapter 2: The Chinese Nationalist Government and the Shanghai Jewish Refugees ; Chapter 3: Yasue Norihiro, Inuzuka Koreshige, and Japan's Policy toward the Shanghai Jewish Refugees, December 1937- December 1939 ; Chapter 4: The Tripartite Pact and Japan's Policy toward the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Issue, January 1940-August 1945 ; Epilogue: The European Jewish Refugees and Shanghai ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisJimmy Yu reveals that in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, self-inflicted violence was an essential and sanctioned part of Chinese culture. He examines a wide range of practices, including blood writing, filial body-slicing, chastity mutilations and suicides, ritual exposure, and self-immolation, arguing that each practice was public, scripted, and a signal of certain cultural expectations.Trade Reviewthis is an important and original study that should be widely read by students of Chinese culture and society. * Wilt L. Idema, Comptes Rendus *Table of ContentsList of illustrations ; Acknowledgement ; A Note on Dynasties and Reigns ; Introduction ; 1. A Culture in Flux: Historical Background ; 2. Embodying the Text through Blood Writing ; 3. Nourishing the Parent with One's Own Flesh ; 4. Chaste Widows as Entertainment and Revenants ; 5. Exposing and Burning the Body for Rain ; 6. Conclusion ; Character Glossary ; Abbreviations and Conventions ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisDavid Shulman and Velcheru Narayana Rao offer a groundbreaking cultural biography of Srinatha, arguably the most creative figure in the thousand-year history of Telugu literature. This fourteenth- and fifteenth-century poet revolutionized the classical tradition and effectively created the classical genre of sustained, thematically focused, coherent large-scale compositions. Some of his works are proto-novellas: self-consciously fictional, focused on the development of characters, and endowed with compelling, fast-paced plots. Though entirely rooted in the cultural world of medieval south India, Srinatha is a poet of universal resonance and relevance. Srinatha: The Poet who Made Gods and Kings provides extended translations of Srinatha''s major works and shows how the poet bridged gaps between oral (improvised) poetry and fixed literary works; between Telugu and the classical, pan-Indian language of Sanskrit; and between local and trans-local cultural contexts. Srinatha is a protean fiTrade ReviewIt is impossible to slap a label on this book. It begins as a biography (a rare genre for this culture) of Srinatha , a poet who lived in Andhra, in South India, in the fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries. But then it goes on to combine hardheaded historical contextualization with a generous appreciation of the rich web of legends about Srinatha, all informed by lyrical translations and brilliant readings of his poems.... The works of Srinatha , like this work of Shulman and Narayana Rao, are playful, rejoicing in comic incongruity and exuberant excess, no holds barred. The authors rightly insist that you do not need to know Telugu to read this book and that readers will recognize here much that resonates with their knowledge of other great literatures. It's a great read. * Wendy Doniger, Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions, University of Chicago *Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. Introduction ; 2. What Happens When a Poem is Translated into a Poem? ; 3. Building in Sound ; 4. A Novella in Two Voices ; 5. Afterlife ; 6. Conclusion ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisThe French Religious Protectorate was an institutionalized and enduring policy of the French government, based on a claim by the French state to be guardian of all Catholics in China. The expansive nature of the Protectorate''s claim across nationalities elicited opposition from official and ordinary Chinese, other foreign countries, and even the pope. Yet French authorities believed their Protectorate was essential to their political prominence in the country. This book examines the dynamics of the French policy, the supporting role played in it by ecclesiastical authority, and its function in embittering Sino-foreign relations.In the 1910s, the dissidence of some missionaries and Chinese Catholics introduced turmoil inside the church itself. The rebels viewed the link between French power and the foreign-run church as prejudicial to the evangelistic project. The issue came into the open in 1916, when French authorities seized territory in the city of Tianjin on the grounds of protectTrade ReviewErnest P. Youngâs long-awaited study is[...] an important contribution in English to the study of the Catholic Church in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century China. In addition to a thoroughly researched history of the controversial French Religious Protectorate, it also provides an insightful discussion of important Chinese contextual considerations [...] In his carefully constructed and eminently accessible presentations, Young helpfully explains Catholic terminology * R.G. Tiedemann, Journal of Ecclesiastical History *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ; Specialized Terms and Acronyms ; Introduction ; Chapter 1. The Emergence of the French Religious Protectorate ; Chapter 2. Church and Protectorate Under the Treaties ; Chapter 3. Defending the Protectorate in the Late Nineteenth Century ; Chapter 4. Collecting Indemnities and Enduring Criticism ; Chapter 5. The Complexities of Jiao'an in the Early Twentieth Century: Sichuan and Jiangxi ; Chapter 6. Reform Agendas for the Missions ; Chapter 7. Dissidence and Catholic Patriotism in Tianjin ; Chapter 8. Petitioning Rome ; Chapter 9. The Vatican Engages and Catholics in China Respond ; Chapter 10. The Papacy's New China Policy ; Chapter 11. Falling Short ; Notes ; Glossary ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisThe European and American dimensions of Mikhail Gorbachev''s foreign policy captured the imagination of contemporary observers and, later, historians. The collapse of socialism in Eastern Europe and the fall of the Berlin Wall were the grand events that marked the European finale of the Cold War. The Cold War ended differently in Asia, where there was no easy closure, no great fanfare, and little credit awarded for changing the world. Yet Gorbachev was fascinated by Asia and in his early years in power, he addressed the subject of Asia''s rise and the importance of Soviet engagement with the region. He spent years strategizing his Asian foreign policies and attempting to build Soviet relationships with its regional neighbors, particularly alongside China. In the end, Russia was never accepted by Europe as part of the West, but it also failed in its efforts to become a regional power. With the end of the Cold War, Russia was marginalized in Asia, politically and economically, unable to fit into the changed environment of international affairs while adhering to the basic principles that made it a superpower.In this broad-ranging and deeply researched second book, Sergey Radchenko gracefully narrates and analyzes the end of the Cold War in Asia. Among the relationships he addresses is the Sino-Soviet normalization, which emerged in response to the difficulties both sides had with the United States; the rise and fall of the Soviet-Indian alliance, which Gorbachev envisioned as central to offsetting US alliances in the region; failed Soviet efforts to mend fences with Japan and to tap into Japanese capital to develop Siberia and the Far East; Soviet efforts to influence relations between Vietnam and Cambodia; and the USSR''s decision to normalize relations with South Korea after North Korea provided resistant to political reform. Radchenko sheds new light on the actions of Gorbachev, Deng Xiaoping, Margaret Thatcher, Boris Yeltsin, and George H.W. Bush, among others. Based on archival research in Russia, China, Mongolia, India, the United States, Britain, numerous European countries, among other places, and interviews with former policy makers in a dozen countries, Radchenko has crafted a book that will appeal broadly to scholars, students, and general readers. Cold War historians; historians of Japan, Korea, China, and India; international relations scholars and political scientists will comprise the academic market.Trade ReviewAnalytical, objective, and large in scope, Radchenko's study of Soviet politics is essential reading for those seeking a realistic picture of the balance of global power. * Publishers Weekly *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Card Player ; 2. Unsinkable Aircraft Carrier ; 3. The Triangle ; 4. Vietnam's Vietnam ; 5. Close the Past, Open the Future ; 6. Tiger's Lair ; 7. A Millimeter of Progress ; 8. There Are Some Things Money Can't Buy ; Epilogue ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisPamela D. Winfield offers a fascinating juxtaposition and comparison of the thoughts of two pre-modern Japanese Buddhist masters on the role of imagery in the enlightenment experience. Kukai (774-835) believed that real and imagined forms were indispensable to his new esoteric Mikkyo method for ''''becoming a Buddha in this very body'''' (sokushin jobutsu), yet he deconstructed the significance of such imagery in his poetic and doctrinal works. Conversely, Dogen (1200-1253) believed that ''''just sitting'''' in Zen meditation without any visual props or mental elaborations could lead one to realize that ''''this very mind is Buddha'''' (sokushin zebutsu), but he too privileged select Zen icons as worthy of veneration. In considering the nuanced views of Kukai and Dogen, Icons and Iconoclasm in Japanese Buddhism updates previous comparisons of their oeuvres and engages their texts and images together for the first time in two decades. Winfield liberates them from sectarian scholarship, Trade ReviewAmbitious and scholarly... Winfield guides the reader with apparent ease... Icons and Iconoclasm feels like the start of a much broader discussion, not just of art in a conventional sense but also of how we might create, interpret, and inhabit ritual space. * Buddhadharma: The Practioner's Quarterly *Delightfully instantiates the converging trajectories of art history and Buddhist studies. At this intersection, each is more deeply informed by the other, and both are enriched. Winfield's study not only demonstrates the benefits of this conjunction of fields, but shows that no longer can Buddhist studies ignore art history, nor can art history remain uninformed by Buddhist thought. * Richard K. Payne, Dean and Yehan Numata Professor of Japanese Buddhist Studies, Institute of Buddhist Studies *Pamela Winfield has written a very interesting and exciting book examining two major Japanese Buddhist thinkers. By focusing on the visual elements in their works in addition to the prominent texts of these giants, Winfield establishes a creative and constructive contrast between Kukai's 'unitive model' stressing non-dual union between the practitioner and ultimate reality and Dogen's 'purgative process' that highlights the individual's own experience of casting aside all distractions. * Steven Heine, editor of Dogen: Textual and Historical Studies *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; Chapter One: The Art of Enlightenment ; Chapter Two: Mikkyo Space, Zen Time ; Chapter Three: Kukai on the Art of the Ultimate ; Chapter Four: Dogen on the Art of Engaging ; Chapter Five: Concluding Remarks ; Notes ; Glossary ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisLooking East examines how English encounters with the Ottoman Empire helped shape national identities and imperial ambitions. Engagingly written in an accessible style, this book demonstrates how the so-called 'conflict of civilizations' separating the Muslim East from the Christian West is a false and dangerous myth.Trade Review'Looking East sweeps aside the distortions of centuries of national history to reveal how our identity has been shaped by the myriad contacts between Britons and Ottomans' - Dr Caroline Finkel, author of Osman's Dream: A History of the Ottoman Empire 'Looking East is a major contribution to the scholarship on English- and Scottish- interaction with the Ottoman world. The picture Gerald MacLean presents is far more complex and interesting than the somewhat simplistic image of East-West relations usually given by Edward Said and his followers. Instead of the old model of a straightforward binary dualism, MacLean has followed in the footsteps of Nabil Matar to present a Mediterranean world where what he calls 'mutuality, dialogue and reciprocity' predominate and where a significant number of Englishmen Turn'd Turk. This scholarly, surprising, erudite and quizzically humourous book looks set to change the way we think about early British interaction with the Muslim world.' - William Dalrymple, author of In Xanadu and From the Holy Mountain 'succinct and accessible Maclean continues to alert us to fascinating materials in the archive.' Ros Ballaster, Review of English StudiesTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface Introduction: Islam, the Ottomans and Early Modern England PART 1: BEGINNINGS The English Encounter the Ottoman World The English Abroad: Travellers, Traders, Captives and Colonists in the Ottoman Mediterranean Performing East and Captive Agency PART 2: WRITING THE OTTOMAN WORLD On Turning Turk, or Trying to: National Identity in Robert Daborne's A Christian Turn'd Turke The Sultan's Beasts: Encountering Ottoman Fauna The Making of the British Imperial Subject PART 3: SOME LITERARY IMPACTS Learn of a Turk: Restoration Culture and the Ottoman Empire A View from the West: Young American Writing about the Maghrib A View from the East: Don Juan in England Epilogue

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Book SynopsisM. C. RICKLEFS is Professor of History at the National University of Singapore. He is an historian of Indonesia.BRUCE LOCKHART is Associate Professor of History at National University of Singapore.ALBERT LAU is Associate Professor of History at National University of Singapore.PORTIA REYES is a Lecturer in the Department of History at the National University of Singapore. MAITRII AUNG-THWIN is Assistant Professor of Southeast Asian/Burmese History at the National University of Singapore.

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Book SynopsisExamines forms of cosmopolitanism in the high period of South Asian anti-colonialism, 1890-1947. Essays argue that anti-colonial action stemmed not only from a teleological rush to realize the form of nation-states, but from the speculative aspiration to critique and transcend notions of universalism and the ultimate good brought by British rule.Table of ContentsIntroduction; K.Manjapra PART I: THEORY AND METHODS Is Nationalism a Boon or a Curse?; A.Sen Benjamin in Bengal: Cosmopolitanism and Historical Primacy; S.Tagore Said and the History of Ideas; S.Kaviraj PART II: DIFFERENT UNIVERSALISMS Iqbal on Nietzsche: A Transcultural Dialogue; A.Jalal Different Universalisms, Colorful Cosmopolitanisms: The Global Imagination of the Colonized; S.Bose Gandhi's Printing Press: Indian Ocean Print Cultures and Cosmopolitanims; I.Hofmeyr PART III: MODERNIST THOUGHT ZONES A Local Cosmopolitan: 'Kesari' Balakrishna Pillai and the Invention of Europe for a Modern Kerala; D.Menon The Communist Ecumene and Transcolonial Recognition; K.Manjapra Rethinking (the absence of) Fascism in India, c. 1922-1945; B.Zachariah PART IV: HISTORIES OF CONNECTION A Coloured Cosmopolitanism: Cedric Dover's Reading of the Afro-Asian World; N.Slate Creative India and the World: Bengali Internationalism and Italy in the Interwar Period; M.Prayer On Orientalism and Iconoclasm: German Scholarship's Challenge to the Saidian Model; S.Marchand

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Book SynopsisRelocating Modern Science challenges the belief that modern science was created uniquely in the West and was subsequently diffused elsewhere. Through a detailed analysis of key moments in the history of science, it demonstrates the crucial roles of circulation and intercultural encounter for their emergence.Trade Review'Each of Raj's episodes is lucidly written, thoughtfully illustrated, and so adroitly contextualized that the book could be recommended to classes introducing students to the topic of 'science and empire' as well as to all scholars interested in how knowledge changes as it travels.' - The British Journal for the History of Science 'Relocating Modern Science is an important and thought-provoking book, which will no doubt encourage others to take a similarly un-blinkered approach to understanding scientific encounters in India. The author has done scholarship a great service by demonstrating the inappropriateness in many instances of conventional categories of analysis.' - Mark Harrison, Metascience 'Well-written, thought-provoking and likely to be of interest to those with more specialist interests in the regions in question as well as to scholars working on particular practices or personnel or on other regions.' - Charles Withers, Journal of Historical Geography 'Relocating Modern Science...makes possibly the clearest statement so far of the thesis that the history of science should be an account of how knowledge was made through interactions and not of how knowledge was transplanted...The friendly style, liberal and effective use of images, an eye for the dramatic moments in narratives, a forceful and convincing argument, and the fascinating case studies (some of which involved considerable detective work in the archives) make this book a rewarding and enjoyable read.' - Tirthankar Roy, Journal of Global History 'Relocating Modern Science is a theoretically exciting contribution that deserves to be read very widely. This book is a stimulating read..Raj is a polemicist who is confident enough to critique the work of other scholars, which means that his book is a brave one. Relocating Modern Science is certain to take an important place in the reading lists of scholars and students of science and globalization. It will also set a new and important point of reference for further debate.' - Sujit Sivasundaram, IsisTable of ContentsIntroduction Surgeons, Fakirs, Merchants and Craftsmen: Making L'Empereur's Jardin in Early Modern South Asia Circulation and the Emergence of Modern Mapping: Great Britain and Early Colonial India, 1764-1820 Refashioning Civilities, Engineering Trust: William Jones, Indian Intermediaries, and the Production of Reliable Legal Knowledge in Late Eighteenth-Century Bengal British Orientalism in the Early Nineteenth Century, or Globalism versus Universalism Defusing Diffusionism: the Institutionalization of Modern Science Education in Early Nineteeth-Century Bengal When Human Travellers become Instruments: the Indo-British Exploration of Central Asia in the Nineteenth Century Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisHua Guofeng succeeded Mao in 1976, emerging almost out of nowhere following an unexceptional career in Shanxi and Hunan. In just over two years, Hua had been eclipsed by Deng Xiaoping, a more politically shrewd, progressive and charismatic figure. If Hua's rise to power was remarkable, then this fall was even more so.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Abbreviations Introduction The Young Revolutionary: Hua in Shanxi (1921-49) Towards Rural Reform: Hua in Hunan (1949-57) The Great Leap Forward and the Post-Leap Recovery Period: Hua in Hunan (1958-65) The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution: Hua in Hunan (1966-70) Entering the Centre: Hua in Beijing (1971-76) The Return of Deng Xiaoping: Hua in Decline (1977-1980) Conclusion Bibliography

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Book SynopsisM. C. RICKLEFS is a recognised leading authority on the history and current affairs of Indonesia. He is currently Professor of History at the National University of Singapore, Adjunct Professor at the Australian National University, and Honorary Professor at Monash University, Australia.

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Book SynopsisOffering a major new interpretation of the transformation of political thought and practice in colonial India, The Domination of Strangers traces the origins of modern ideas about the state and Indian civil society to the practical interaction between the British and their south Asian subjects. Trade Review'Innovative and stimulating...The Domination of Strangers is a remarkably evocative book. Its methodological suggestiveness both in its particular understanding of what marks a 'modern' state as well as its arguments that the history of political thought must attend not just to abstract philosophy or to its reception, but to the ideas produced out of political practice of those in the middle who did the governing - will make it quite stimulating reading both within colonial history and beyond it.' Philip Stern, Reviews in History 'This elegantly written and thought-provoking book opens up new perspectives on changes in colonial governance in late eighteenth and early nineteenth century Eastern India. Innovatively applying a reading of Georg Simmel's essay on 'The Stranger' to the colonial context in India, it characterises these changes in terms of ambivalent and contradictory responses to a practical and semantic crisis in the East India Company's relations with Eastern Indian society. This important book also sheds new light on other areas of debate (such as the Anglicist-Orientalist controversy) by relocating these in the context of this crisis of governance. In addition, it brings its conclusions to bear on a wider comparative framework that discusses the differences and similarities between non-colonial regimes in continental Europe and Britain, and the colonial regime in India. As such, its breadth of perspective combined with focussed archival readings will appeal to historians of both modern South Asia and Britain, and to those who are interested in the issue of modern governance as a whole.' - Javed Majeed, Queen Mary, University of London, UK Table of Contents

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Book SynopsisThe Meiji Restoration of 1868 is one of the most astonishing political events of the modern era, yet it doesn't fit easily with Western precedents of mass mobilization and social transformation. This book challenges some of the preconceptions that have hindered the Restoration being understood on its own terms.Trade Review"Provocative and stimulating." - James L. Huffman, Wittenberg UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction Japan Within the World System: Urbanization, Political Stasis and Western Economic Expansion The Meiji Coup d'Etat Mass Media and the Development of Civil Culture 'The More Thorough Fulfillment of the Restoration' The Imperial Household, the Popular Press and the Contestation of Public Space Conclusion: Conservatism, Traditionalism and Restoration Bibliography

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Book SynopsisA gripping history of Taiwan and its tense relations with China.Trade Review'If one wants to understand why Taiwan is in Beijing's crosshairs, Forbidden Nation is a good place to start.' - The Washington TimesTable of ContentsPreface * Two Shots on Chinhua Road * A Leaf on the Waves * Barbarian Territory * Pirate Haven * The House of Cheng * The Siege of Fort Zeelandia * The Prince who Became a God * Deliverance and Defeat * A State of Constant Rebellion * The Wolves Circle * A Modern Province * The Taiwan Republic * Becoming Japanese * Missionaries and Filibusters * New Beginning, New Betrayal * The Unsinkable Aircraft Carrier * Reform and Terror * Strategic Ambiguity * The Perils of Democracy * 29,518 Votes

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Book SynopsisAlexander the Great is considered one of the most successful commanders of all time and was known to be undefeated in battle. In this masterful biography, Alexander's influence on the course of cultural and political history and the scope of his military prowess remains awe-inspiring to this day.Table of ContentsBefore Alexander Early Days Chaeronea Long Live the King From Granicus to Halicarnassus Turning Point at Issus The Reduction of Tyre Bloody Gaza Wonders of the World Decision at Gaugamela Last Stand at Persian Gate Men Fly Over Sogdian Rock Siege at Aornos Triumph at Hydaspes Trouble on the Indus Death in Babylon What Was What Might Have Been Lasting Legacy

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Book SynopsisProvides a vital addition to existing scholarship on asymmetric wartime decision-making and alliance formation among small states. The result uncovers how this critical period had lasting implications for the ways Vietnam continues to conduct itself on the global stage.Trade ReviewThe first academic monograph in any language dedicated to telling the story of the Third Indochina War from the Vietnamese perspective using predominantly Vietnamese archival sources. . . . It will be required reading for scholars of Vietnamese, regional, and global Cold War diplomatic history and international relations for years to come. . . . An immense contribution." - Journal of Vietnamese StudiesTable of Contents Acknowledgments ix List of Abbreviations xi Introduction 3 1 Impact of the Economic Crisis, 1975–1978 19 2 The Decision to Invade Cambodia, December 1978 52 3 Mobilization for a Two-Front War, 1979–1981 79 4 The Two-Faced Enemy in Cambodia, 1979–1985 113 5 Economic Regionalism in Indochina, 1982–1985 134 6 The Road to Doi Moi, 1986 167 Conclusion 203 Notes 211 Bibliography 263 Index 285

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Book SynopsisShibue Io was the daughter of a merchant family in 19th-century Japan and wife of a scholar-doctor of the samurai class. This book draws on the biography of her husband, written by Mori Ogai, to tell her story, and the story of her society, and her times.

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Book SynopsisDescribes the daily lives, occupations and history of the Subei people, immigrants from the Jiangsu Province, who have become the most despised people in China's largest city, Shanghai. Honig uses archival research and interviews conducted in Shanghai.

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Book SynopsisDrawing on sources only recently made available, the author sketches a portrait of Gandhi within the context of his time in which the Indian leader emerges as neither a plaster saint nor a wily politician, but as a complex man whose actions followed honourably from his convictions.Table of ContentsPart 1 The forging of a public man: an Indian nonentity; South African experience I - the self-taught political apprentice; South African experience II - "The Satyagrahi"; India and the returning exile. Part 2 Indian identity: Mahatma and nation, 1920-34; non-co-operation - the road to Swaraj?; fruits of reflection - roots of identity; civil disobedience - the quest for legitimacy and unity 1928-34. Part 3 The crises of old age: "Where there is no vision, the people perish"; non-violence on trial; prisoner of hope.

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Book SynopsisThe West has been accused of seeing the East in a hostile and deprecatory light, as the legacy of nineteenth-century European imperialism. This book examines Russian thinking about the Orient before the Revolution of 1917.Trade Review"Set against the controversies of Edward Said's book on Orientalism, this book brilliantly reveals how one Eastern people looked at its own Eastern fellow subjects and at the Eastern world beyond its borders."—Richard Stites, author of Serfdom, Society and The Arts in Imperial Russia -- Richard Stites"Engrossing, erudite, and full of surprises, this study makes an essential addition to the growing literature on Asia and the west."—Jonathan Spence, author of The Chan's Great Continent -- Jonathan Spence“This insightful and elegant study offers the first full survey of Russia’s Asian imagination in the imperial era. With a wonderful touch for texts and personalities, David Schimmelpenninck reveals how Russian views of 'the East' were at once similar and different from what we're used to thinking of as a European Orientalist norm. In fact, as he argues, there was no single unmoving framework for perceiving Asian cultures, neither in Russia nor in the West. Instead, what is truly distinctive about the Russian case – and what Schimmelpenninck helps us to see in a new and full light – is how important Asia became to the Russians’ understanding of themselves. Anyone interested in the history of identity and culture in Russia will find much to take from this book.”—Willard Sunderland, author of Taming the Wild Field: Colonization and Empire on the Russian Steppe -- Willard Sunderland"Written in an accessible style and drawing on literature in a host ofEuropean languages, this book provides a most comprehensive andup-to-date analysis of Russia's long and complicated engagement withAsia and 'eastern' themes. Schimmelpenninck deftly explores numerousdimensions of this engagement, including scholarly Orientology,literature, art, music, material culture, and Orthodox mission. Byconcentrating on the fascinating lives and careers of representativescholars, artists, writers, and composers – Russians and non-Russiansalike – Schimmelpenninck invests his story with a compelling humandimension. He situates Russia's Orientalism in broader Europeanpatterns, but ultimately insists on the specificity – and profoundambiguity – of Russia's engagement with Asia. In light of Russians'inability to construe the East as an 'other' wholly distinct fromthemselves, Russian Orientalism in this book represents a significantdeparture from the Orientalism of Edward Said, which serves asSchimmelpenninck's foil. I know of no other book that makes this caseso systematically, and it is certain to generate controversy anddebate."—Paul Werth, University of Nevada, Las Vegas -- Paul Werth"Russian historical perceptions of Asia are a fascinating and important topic, both for what they say about Russian policy outside Europe and for what they tell us about the Russians themselves. As the balance of global power tilts towards Asia, where Russians position themselves between the West and the Orient is certain to become of ever-greater significance. No Western scholar is better equipped than Professor Schimmelpennick to write on this theme, and his new book is a tour-de-force."—Dominic Lieven, The London School of Economics and Political Science -- Dominic Lieven

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Book SynopsisBased on extensive research in Chinese archives and libraries, the author explores the pre-Communist origins of the process of systematic thought reform or reformation (ganhua) that evolved into a key component of Mao Zedong's revolutionary restructuring of Chinese society.Trade Review'Jan Kiely, an American sinologist based at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, shows with admirable clarity that the notion of thought reform, or ganhua, occupied the minds and goals of late Qing dynasty reformers, Japanese penologists, progressive prison wardens during the Republic, Chiang Kai-shek and his son Ching-kuo, Buddhists and of course Mao Zedong even before he came to national power.' —Jonathan Mirsky, THES. -- Jonathan Mirsky * THES *“The Compelling Ideal is a thoughtful, rigorously researched, and meticulously detailed investigation into early twentieth-century Chinese penal reform, from the last decade of the Qing dynasty to the formative years of the People’s Republic of China.”—Journal of Asian Studies * Journal of Asian Studies *"This is a solid and well-researched study of techniques of re-education and thought reform in Chinese penal institutions in the first half of the twentieth century."—Klaus Muhlhahn, American Historical Review -- Klaus Muhlhahn * American Historical Review *"...one cannot fail to be impressed by the beautifully crafted deep history his book provides. Readers wishing to understand the historical context within which Maoist thought reform later evolved will find this book to be indispensable." —Aminda Smith, China Quarterly Review -- Aminda Smith * China Quarterly Review *

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Trade Review"There is very little analytic research in any language on the nature of Chinese contracts and their use in daily life. Hansen shows the impact of contracts and contractual thinking on all aspects of Chinese society, and she demonstrates how the attitudes of the state toward contracts changed from neglect and even aversion to increasing involvement. This is a valuable and eminently readable contribution to the field."—Barend J. ter Haar, University of Heidelberg

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Book SynopsisBill Shanahan was troubled by his line company duty in Vietnam: whenever his unit went on patrol, the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong could hear them coming. His unit didn''t have a chance against an enemy that quietly emerged from the jungle like ghosts-and just as quickly disappeared. Shanahan wanted a better way to fight . . and to stay alive. And so, just four months after he arrived in Vietnam in 1968, he joined the LRPs (Long Range Patrol).The mission of the Lurps, as they were called, was dangerous: Five- or six-man teams were dropped into the dense forest behind enemy lines. They were to observe enemy troop movements and stage ambushes that sometimes ended in fierce firefights. When their mission was over, they called for quick helicopter rescue. Back on base, they debriefed and tried to sleep off the adrenaline. Two days later they were back in the brush. The missions changed, but one goal was always the same-stay alive.In hard-hitting prose, Bill Shanahan, with co-author John Brackin, tells his story of survival behind enemy lines.

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Book SynopsisFinalist for the Pulitzer Prize in General NonfictionWinner of the Council on Foreign Relations' Arthur Ross Book AwardWinner of the Lionel Gelber Prize for Best Foreign Affairs BookWinner of the Asia Society's Bernard Schwartz Book AwardWinner of the Cundill Prize for Historical LiteratureWinner of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations' Robert H. Ferrell Book PrizeWinner of the Ramnath Goenka AwardOne of the Best Books of the Year at • The Economist • Financial Times • The New Republic • The Washington Post • Kirkus Reviews •A New York Times Notable Book This magnificent history provides the first full account of Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger’s secret support for Pakistan in 1971 as it committed shocking atrocities in Bangladesh—which led to war between India and Pakistan, shaped the fate of Asia, and left major strategic consequences for the world today.Drawing on previously unheard White House tapes, recently declassified documents, and his own extensive investigative reporting, Gary Bass uncovers an astonishing unknown story of superpower brinkmanship, war, scandal, and conscience. Revelatory, authoritative, and compulsively readable, The Blood Telegram is a thrilling chronicle of a pivotal chapter in American foreign policy.

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Book SynopsisIn time for the one year anniversary of the 2011 earthquake in Japan, a collection of essays and stories by Japanese writers on the devastating disaster, its aftermath, and the resolve of a people to rebuild.On March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake occurred off the northeastern coast of Japan, triggering a 50-foot tsunami that crushed everything in its path—highways, airports, villages, trains, and buses—leaving death and destruction behind, and causing a major radiation leak from five nuclear plants. Here eighteen writers give us their trenchant observations and emotional responses to such a tragedy, in what is a fascinating, enigmatic and poignant collection.

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Book SynopsisThis biography is a rare eyewitness account of the horrors of a little-known, often denied genocide, in which hundereds of thousands of Armenian and Pontic Greek minorities in Turkey were killed during and after World War 1.

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