Overview

Long before the Europeans reached the east, the ancient Chinese had advanced their perspectives of the west. In this groundbreaking book, Wang explores a fascinating perspective of the Other. He locates the Other in the alternating directionologies of classical and imperial China, leading the reader into a long history of Chinese geo-cosmologies and world-scapes. In his analysis, Wang also delves into the historical records of Chinese ""world activities,"" or the journeys from being the Central Kingdom to reaching to the ""outer regions,"" separating the construction of illusory from realistic geographies while drawing attention to their interconnected natures. Wang challenges an extensive number of critical studies of Orientalist narratives (chiefly including Edward Said's Orientalism), and reframes such studies from the directionological perspectives of an ""Oriental"" civilization. He challenges the assumption that the Other must be understood in the sense that has been explained in general anthropology, crucially underlining the European foundations that have shaped its traditional interpretations.

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Wang presents a densely argued widely ranging critique of anthropology Wang's monograph will have special relevance to Chinese and foreign anthropologists who wish to understand the currents of anthropological thought in China.-- ""H-Net""

Wang presents a densely argued widely ranging critique of anthropology... Wang's monograph will have special relevance to Chinese and foreign anthropologists who wish to understand the currents of anthropological thought in China.--H-Net

Author Information

Mingming Wang is a leading human scientist in post-Mao China and Professor of Anthropology at Peking University, China. He was trained in archaeology, ethno-history, and anthropology, and has a PhD from the University of London, UK. He is the author of numerous works (in both Chinese and English) on Chinese anthropology, history, and sociology, including Grassroots Charisma.

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