{"product_id":"chinese-ritual-and-politics-paperback-9780521040907","title":"Chinese Ritual and Politics (Paperback \/ softback) 9780521040907","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eChinese Ritual and Politics\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRitual action in China often takes its logic from political action. In this book Emily Ahern explores the implications of this.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eEmily Martin Ahern (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780521040907, Cambridge University Press\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 17 September 2007\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e160 pages\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.3 x 1 cm, 0.25 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eAs a result of the strength and dominance of the centralized state, ritual action in China often takes its logic from political action. In this book Emily Ahern explores the implications of this. She argues that forms of control attempted ritually on non-human persons (gods and other spirits) in China parallel those forms of control which people regard as effective in ordinary life, namely political control, and draws important conclusions from this. She shows that in China it is possible to discard terms such as 'magic', which imply that acts directed to spirits operate on a different basis from acts in ordinary life. She also challenges claims in anthropology that, since they seem arbitrary and the actions of participants in them highly predictable, rituals support established authority. Her book will be of interest not only to specialists in Chinese studies, but to social anthropologists and others interested in the link between ritual and political processes.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eList of figures\u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgements\u003cbr\u003e Introduction\u003cbr\u003e Part I. Interpersonal Communication: 1. Interpersonal versus non-interpersonal transaction\u003cbr\u003e 2. Written bureaucratic communication\u003cbr\u003e 3. Etiquette and control\u003cbr\u003e Part II. Codes: 4. Divination\u003cbr\u003e 5. Open and closed practices\u003cbr\u003e Part III. Politics: 6. Ritual and political authorities\u003cbr\u003e 7. Ritual as a learning game\u003cbr\u003e Conclusions and further questions\u003cbr\u003e Notes\u003cbr\u003e Bibliography\u003cbr\u003e Character list\u003cbr\u003e Index.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eSubject Areas: Social \u0026amp; cultural anthropology, ethnography [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on Social \u0026amp; cultural anthropology, ethnography\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22Social%20\u0026amp;%20cultural%20anthropology,%20ethnography%20%5BJHMC%5D%22\"\u003eJHMC\u003c\/a\u003e]\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Cambridge University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46006254436632,"sku":"9780521040907","price":28.19,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0730\/2037\/5320\/products\/9780521040907i_7ea39134-bb40-45d5-af2d-873701c5bb34.jpg?v=1694968562","url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/chinese-ritual-and-politics-paperback-9780521040907","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}