Violence and the Rise of Centralized States in East Asia

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title Violence and the Rise of Centralized States in East Asia
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Mark Edward Lewis
SeriesElements in Ancient East Asia
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:75
Dimensions(mm): Height 229,Width 152
Category/GenreAsian and Middle Eastern history
ISBN/Barcode 9781108972147
ClassificationsDewey:303.60931
Audience
Tertiary Education (US: College)
Illustrations Worked examples or Exercises; Worked examples or Exercises

Publishing Details

Publisher Cambridge University Press
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publication Date 31 March 2022
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

Violence, both physical and nonphysical, is central to any society, but it is a version of the problem that it claims to solve. This Element examines how states in ancient East Asia, from the late Shang through the end of the Han dynasty, wielded violence to create and display authority, and also how their licit violence was entangled in the 'savage' or 'criminal' violence whose suppression justified their power. The East Asian cases are supplemented through citing comparable Western ones. The themes examined include the emergence of the warrior as a human type, the overlap of hunts and combat (and the overlap between treatments of alien species and alien peoples), sacrifice of both alien captives and 'death attendants' from one's own groups, the impact of military specialization and the increased scale of armies, the emergent ideal of self-sacrifice, and the diverse aspects of violence in the regime of law.