New book published

Christian Soffel and Hoyt Cleveland Tillman, Cultural Authority and Political Culture in China: Exploring Issues with the Zhongyong and the Daotong during the Song, Jin and Yuan Dynasties. Stuttgart, Germany: Franz Steiner Verlag, 2012. ISBN 978-3-515-10134-9.

Although the book covers a considerable spectrum of thinkers, especially during the Song, special attention is given to Wang Bo in the Southern Song and Hao Jing in the Yuan. In addition to exploring how the Zhongyong and the Daotong were used to shed light on views of cultural authority, the volume shows the complexity of Zhu Xi’s influence and its limitations in the 13th century — even among those who have been regarded as major followers of his teachings.

One reply

  1. For what it’s worth, here is a description of the book from Prof. Tillman that I just saw elsewhere:

    “Soffel’s half of the book covers a spectrum of Song thinkers, especially
    those who had serious questions about the Zhongyong; thus, he demonstrates
    contemporary views that Zhu Xi often choose either not to address or to
    gloss over in his efforts to establish this text as culturally
    authoritative. Moreover, Soffel demonstrates continuing doubts about this
    text even among some of Zhu’s major 13th century followers, especially
    Wang Bo and his circle. Although Tillman deals with some other Jin and
    Yuan thinkers, he focuses on Hao Jing as a philosopher and commnetator on
    intellectual trends in China. Tillman illustrates both Hao Jing’s
    progressive embrace of Zhu Xi’s views and Hao’s apparent role in enhancing
    later acceptance of Zhu’s claims about the Zhongyong. Both authors also
    place Zhu Xi’s and other Song and Yuan thinkers’ views of the Daotong
    (succession and transmission of the Way) into its political and cultural
    contexts. Together, these explorations seek to shed light on complexities
    of cultural authority and political culture in China, particularly during
    the Song-Yuan era.”

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