India and China dominate the Asian continent but are separated by formidable geographic barriers and language differences. For many centuries; most of the information that passed between the two lands came through Silk Route intermediaries in lieu of first-person encounters—leaving considerable room for invention. From their introduction to Indian culture in the first centuries C.E.; Chinese thinkers; writers; artists; and architects imitated India within their own borders; giving Indian images and ideas new forms and adapting them to their own culture. Yet India's impact on China has not been greatly researched or well understood.India in the Chinese Imagination takes a new look at the ways the Chinese embedded India in diverse artifacts of Chinese religious; cultural; artistic; and material life in the premodern era. Leading Asian studies scholars explore the place of Indian myths and storytelling in Chinese literature; how Chinese authors integrated Indian history into their conception of the political and religious past; and the philosophical relationships between Indian Buddhism; Chinese Buddhism; and Daoism. This multifaceted volume; illustrated with over a dozen works of art; reveals the depth and subtlety of the encounter between India and China; shedding light on what it means to imagine another culture—and why it matters.Contributors: Stephen R. Bokenkamp; Bernard Faure; John Kieschnick; Victor H. Mair; John R. McRae; Christine Mollier; Meir Shahar; Robert H. Sharf; Nobuyoshi Yamabe; Ye Derong; Shi Zhiru.
#1140192 in Books University of Pennsylvania Press 2007-08-24Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.52 x .64 x 5.57l; .67 #File Name: 0812220048224 pages
Review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Challenging and VisionaryBy J. JamakayaI thoroughly enjoyed this thoughtful critique of the current state of women's history and its feminist implications. "History Matters" by Judith M. Bennett presents an unapologetic feminist vision that is cognizant and respectful of all three "waves" of feminist thought/action at the same time that it chides some feminists for their historical blinders. Bennett challenges the historical profession on many fronts but is also committed to establishing high standards and producing sound research that will enlighten our understanding of the past and have practical application today.I found most interesting (and a bit aggravating!) her survey of how women's history has morphed into the broader arena of "gender studies" over the past few decades and how the once seemingly clear concept of "patriarchy" has been replaced by less polarizing but rather tepid terms like "gender differences;" often obscuring power dynamics and deleting critical agent(s). Her critique of "presentism" is compelling. She warns that the increasing focus by historians - including feminist historians - on 19th and 20th century history ignores the longer view and prevents us from identifying the continuities as well as the transformations which have occurred over millennia. Perhaps most illuminating is her promotion of the concept of "lesbian-like" to get a better handle on the lives and experiences of woman-identified women in the past. The narrow definition of sexual contact and the impossibility of proving it centuries later limits inquiry about women who may have been lesbians. Bennett urges a broadening of our criteria and analysis for identifying women who lived "like" lesbians that makes a lot of sense.Over all; I especially appreciated the clarity of Professor Bennett's writing. Her analysis is logical and presented in precise; unambiguous prose. So much academic writing today is marred by arcane language and labyrinthine theorizing; much of it intelligible to only a small number of eggheads. That's not a problem in this book. It is easy to follow Bennett's arguments; and her recommendations for research and teaching are constructive and concrete.I highlighted dozens of lines in the book because of their clarity and; sometimes; their wit. There are many insightful passages; but I really fancied this one from the conclusion; which captures the spirit of the book: "To my mind; our history should be less safe and more offensive."
