Patricia Buckley Ebrey is an American historian specializing in cultural and gender issues during China's Song Dynasty. Her work delves deeply into the daily lives, family structures, and social dynamics of this pivotal period. Ebrey brings a detailed lens to how culture and gender roles evolved, offering readers a nuanced understanding of societal shifts. Her scholarship illuminates the complexities of life for both ordinary people and the elite, enriching our knowledge of Song China.
The book offers a richly illustrated exploration of Chinese culture, tracing its development from prehistoric origins to contemporary society. Patricia Buckley Ebrey delves into the historical milestones and cultural evolution, providing a comprehensive overview of the diverse influences that have shaped China throughout the ages. This second edition enhances the narrative with updated insights and visual elements, making it a valuable resource for understanding the complexities of Chinese heritage.
The book explores the extensive scholarly research on the Chinese medieval aristocracy, delving into studies published in Chinese, Japanese, and Western languages. It highlights various perspectives and analyses, offering insights into the social structure and influence of the aristocracy during this historical period. The work aims to synthesize existing knowledge and contribute to a deeper understanding of the complexities surrounding the aristocratic class in medieval China.
This comprehensive, mainstream text takes a social approach to history, using political history as its basic framework. It is known for its readability, its attention to recent scholarship, and its new historical interpretations. The new edition features increased coverage of global topics. Material on the Middle Ages has been consolidated to allow more room for non-Western coverage. Chapter 27 from the previous edition, which covered both Africa and Asia, has been split into separate chapters on each region. Chapter 11 from the previous editionon Asia and the Mongolshas been divided into separate chapters on East and South Asia. New! Two-page "Global Trade" boxed features investigate a variety of important products and commodities, including pottery, tea, slaves, and oil. The feature presents historical background on the commodity, traces its trade throughout the world, and shows its impact on other cultures. New! New pedagogy in the Sixth Edition includes key terms, chapter outlines, and chronologies. New! About one-third of the maps, illustrations, "Listening to the Past" primary source features, and "Individuals in Society" biographical features in this edition are new.
Designed for the East Asian history course, this text features the latest scholarship on the region's cultural, political, economic, and intellectual history. Coverage is balanced among East Asian countries, with approximately 20 percent of the text focused on Korea, an area that has become increasingly important in world politics. Special attention is devoted to gender and material culture, themes are reinforced through the text's pedagogical features. Full color inserts on topics such as food, clothing, and art objects illustrate the rich artistic heritage of East Asia and bolster the coverage of material culture. Features include a range of primary source documents on topics such as women's independence and students-turned-soldiers, and biographical sketches throughout the text highlight the lives of popular figures and ordinary people. Connections features provide an international context for the history of East Asia, including topics such the origin and spread of Buddhism and a global perspective of World War II.
