Content area
Full Text
(ProQuest: ... denotes non-US-ASCII text omitted.)
Ancient Chinese Thought, Modern Chinese Power represents an initiative by international relations (IR) scholars from China to enter into theoretical conversations with counterparts elsewhere. This translation of work by Yan Xuetong and his colleagues examines prominent pre-Qin dynasty (221-202BC) political philosophies with the aim of providing analytical, predictive, prescriptive and normative insights for IR (pp. 3, 21). This ambitious project may appeal to readers seeking an introduction to how IR scholars from China conceptualize and apply pre-Qin thought to inter-state relations. More importantly, the book highlights major questions facing current efforts to overtly relate Chinese traditions to contemporary world politics.
Yan and his collaborators organize the volume into three sections together with an introduction by series editor Daniel Bell, which outlines the tensions, implications, and history of the project. As the book's conceptual core, the three chapters in part one review work by major pre-Qin thinkers, relating them to IR theory and strategies for managing China's rise. Yan's starts by comparing different outlooks on inter-state relations in canonical pre-Qin texts, framing them in terms of IR discussions over levels of analysis, norms and hegemony. He next examines the work of the philosopher, Xunzi, to illustrate how morality,...