Understanding the Past & Pursuing the Future: Patterns of Chinese and Global Historical Changes and Social Theory

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Publication Date｜2019-01-00

Authors｜R. Bin Wong

Press｜National Chiao Tung University Press

ISBN｜9789578614253

Synopsis

| Synopsis

“The author explores the grand inquiry of how ‘understanding the past’ leads to ‘pursuing the future’ and provides brilliant insights and suggestions for how historical writings on ‘global historical changes’ can be more enlightening.”--Peng-sheng Chiu
 
“The author observes historical changes from a long-term perspective by tracing the history from Ming/Qing Dynasty to recent/contemporary China. He compares the developmental trajectories of Chinese and European contemporary histories using comparative historical approaches. More importantly, his work is strongly critical, especially of the world history and social scientific theories constructed by a Western-centric worldview. Another characteristic of the book is the author's attempt to link history to the contemporary world.”--Jen-shu Wu
 
Traditional social theories from the 19th century to early 20th century focused on the birth of modern and contemporary Europe as a model for global historical changes. This book challenges this idea that European history can serve as a guideline for historical changes in other regions in the world. By comparing China and Europe, this book analyzes the similarities and differences between the principles and methods of execution in different regions in early contemporary world, in order to establish an appropriate analytical method.
 
This book observes the relationships between the Chinese state and religion, between politics and the economy (i.e., economic policy), and between the state and industrialization. Through these observations, this book proposes an integration of Chinese history into world history. Only by understanding the complex global connections that cut through multiple regions can we overcome the limitations of employing Europe as a model for analyzing global historical changes. By connecting the “One Belt, One Road” proposition to global environmental issues, this book observes how agency functions for the historical agents to consciously or unconsciously synthesize concepts and ideas from various origins and construct the blueprint of their political and economic actions.
 
The title of this book—Understanding the Past and Pursuing the Future—refers to the diverse and collective historical complexities that shape our world today through historical legacy. This book proposes methods to face the challenges in geopolitics, global economy, and environment issues in our future.

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Recommendations

Yuan-Horng Chu, Institute for Social Research and Cultural Studies, National Chiao Tung University
Jen-Shu Wu, Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica
Peng-Sheng Chiu, Department of History, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Hon-Wai Ho, Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica
Wenkai He, Division of Social Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Ko-wu Huang, Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica
Yueh-Tsen Chung, Institute of History, National Tsing Hua University

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| Author

Roy Bin Wong is Distinguished Professor of History at UCLA, and had been founding director for the Asia Institute at UCLA. He has written, co-written, and edited a plethora of books, including China Transformed: Historical Change and the Limits of European Experience (1997) and Before and Beyond Divergence: The Politics of Economic Change in China and Europe (2011), which he co-wrote with Jean-Laurent Rosenthal. He has also published nearly a hundred articles and book chapters. His works have been published in English, Chinese, Japanese, French, and German in North America, East Asia, and Europe. He has been visiting scholar to the London School of Economics, École des hautes études en sciences sociales, L’Institut de France, Fudan University, East China Normal University, Academia Sinica, and Kyoto University. He has been Visiting Professor at the Fudan Institute for Advanced Study in Social Sciences since 2009. He is currently a member of the scientific advisory board of the Paris School of Economics as well as the research project assessment committee at the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Japan.

| Translator

Li-fan Lee received his Bachelor's degree from the Interdisciplinary Program of Humanities and Social Sciences, and his Master's degree from the Institute of History (Modern China and Multicultural Studies Track), both at National Tsing Hua University. He currently freelances while working on self-education.

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| Table of Contents

Foreword 01 — Comparing “Good Governance” in Eastern and Western Cultures: Roy Bin Wong's Modern Interpretation of “Thorough Knowledge of Historical Development” / Peng-Sheng Chiu
Foreword 02 — The Myth of Theory: Reevaluating the Modes of Transformation in Modern China / Jen-shu Wu

Chapter 1 — Facing the Complexity and Multiplicity of the Global Condition Through the History of Non-European Regions
Chapter 2 — The State and Religion
Chapter 3 — Financial Relations
Chapter 4 — Industrialization of China, Europe, and the World
Chapter 5 — Integrating Chinese History into World History
Chapter 6 — Human Agency: How the Expression of Profit and Faith Constructs Our Politics, Economy, and Culture
Chapter 7 — Defining Feasibility, Pursuing Desirability

Bibliography
Appendix—“Topics on Roy Bin Wong: Connecting China in Ming and Qing Dynasties and Global History” Edited by Cho-Ying Li
Appendix—Response 01 / Yuan-Horng Chu
Appendix—Response 02 / Yueh-Tsen Chung
Appendix—Response 03 / Hon-wai Ho
Appendix—Response 04 / Wenkai He
Appendix—Response 05 / Ko-wu Huang
Appendix—Response by Roy Bin Wong, Translated by Li-fan Lee
Translator's Postscript / Li-fan Lee

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More Details：https://www.books.com.tw/products/0010811002
NCTU Press：http://press.nctu.edu.tw/press-tea/books/2-2.aspx?sn=355