What the rulers of empire can teach us about navigating today's increasingly interconnected worldThe empires of the past were far-flung experiments in multinationalism and multiculturalism; and have much to teach us about navigating our own increasingly globalized and interconnected world. Until now; most recent scholarship on empires has focused on their subject peoples. Visions of Empire looks at their rulers; shedding critical new light on who they were; how they justified their empires; how they viewed themselves; and the styles of rule they adopted toward their subjects.Krishan Kumar provides panoramic and multifaceted portraits of five major European empires―Ottoman; Habsburg; Russian/Soviet; British; and French―showing how each; like ancient Rome; saw itself as the carrier of universal civilization to the rest of the world. Sometimes these aims were couched in religious terms; as with Islam for the Ottomans or Catholicism for the Habsburgs. Later; the imperial missions took more secular forms; as with British political traditions or the world communism of the Soviets.Visions of Empire offers new insights into the interactions between rulers and ruled; revealing how empire was as much a shared enterprise as a clash of oppositional interests. It explores how these empires differed from nation-states; particularly in how the ruling peoples of empires were forced to downplay or suppress their own national or ethnic identities in the interests of the long-term preservation of their rule. This compelling and in-depth book demonstrates how the rulers of empire; in their quest for a universal world order; left behind a legacy of multiculturalism and diversity that is uniquely relevant for us today.
#306064 in Books Richard J Smith 2012-03-25Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.83 x 1.07 x 4.95l; .83 #File Name: 0691145091304 pagesThe I Ching A Biography
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A gem.By L. VouteThe biography of a book - I love it!! I already loved and explored the I Ching since more than 40 years; but this adds extra dimensions. Very well written and full of good and thorough information.0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A good resourceBy Edward IIIIn this "biography" of the I Ching; Smith traces out the book's history and influence; while providing an overview of its content and issues of interpretation; as well as of its many English translations. This book includes a large number of footnotes and annotations; and an extensive bibliography. The author clearly knows a great deal about his subject; and is not afraid to criticize the Wilhelm translation--one which your garden-variety I Ching expositor tends to praise uncritically. That said; despite the book's copious footnotes Smith seems to have relied particularly heavily on one source: Shaughnessey's "The Composition of the Zhouyi." Overall a good resource on a fascinating and difficult work.2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Rudolph V. DusekVery informative and helpful book.
