Description
Book SynopsisArgues for and demonstrates the significance of ‘New Sinology’ by bringing language/philology back into the research and understanding of how modern China emerged, and presenting a host of concrete, in-depth, case studies, in which the use of ‘New Sinology’ sheds new light on Chinese history.
Trade ReviewThis is a richly researched and intelligently argued collection of studies that highlight a key methodological and interpretive issue in China studies and provides a considerable empirical detail that makes their point. The volume delivers on the promise of the editors to bring language/philology back in—to argue for and demonstrate the significance of “New Sinology”: the careful attention to historical language and knowledge in texts both contemporary and earlier to illuminate the power of cultural
habitus as well as conscious practice over time as expressed in the written version of Austin’s speech acts. These studies show that the tools of traditional Sinology, with a focus on linguistic and philological expertise, can and do contribute meaningfully to our understanding of the genesis and experience of modern China." —Timothy Cheek, The University of British Columbia
