As 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 ...(展开全部)

Examines the history and purpose of political rituals, discusses examples from Aztec cannibal rites to presidential inauguration, and argues that the use of ritual determines the success of political groups.

大卫•科泽（David I. Kertzer，1948— ），美国著名人类学家、人口学家、历史学家、意大利研究专家，美国艺术与科学院（AAAC）院士，曾任美国社会科学历史学会（SSHA）主席，布朗大学教务长。主要研究领域为仪式与象征、政治与文化、欧洲社会史、人口人类学、政治经济学和家庭系统、宗教人类学和意大利社会政治等。出版和发表了多部重要著作和多篇论文，曾获国家图书奖（非虚构类，1997）、年度100本最佳著作奖（1997，2002）、《出版周刊》年度最佳著作奖（2004）等，在社会和学界都有巨大的影响力，其作品由奥斯卡最佳编剧奖和普利策奖得主Alfred Uhry改编为剧本上演。

美国斯坦福大学人类学系、荷兰内梅亨大学教授，被公认为自施坚雅以后海外中国经济社会史研究的中坚学者、著名人类学者。曾获得美国鲁斯基金会资助。

An outstanding compendium of fourteen papers, almost exclusively based on recent anthropological field research in Hong Kong and Taiwan on the diverse Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist beliefs and practices of the Chinese peasant ... This collection is of great value in explicating the structure of the supernatural world as seen by the Chinese peasant, its similarity to the forma...(展开全部)

An outstanding compendium of fourteen papers, almost exclusively based on recent anthropological field research in Hong Kong and Taiwan on the diverse Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist beliefs and practices of the Chinese peasant ... This collection is of great value in explicating the structure of the supernatural world as seen by the Chinese peasant, its similarity to the forma...(展开全部)

This is the first comprehensive English-language introduction to Taoist ritual both for the scholar and the general reader. In this splendid account, Taoism is presented as a system of religious symbol and action deeply rooted in centuries of Chinese social life. In vivid detail, Lagerwey describes the intricacies of Taoist rituals as performed by a single Taoist priest in pres...(展开全部)

Confucianism has shaped a certain perception of Chinese security strategy, symbolized by the defensive, nonaggressive Great Wall. Many believe China is antimilitary and reluctant to use force against its enemies. Instead, the country practices pacifism and refrains from expanding its boundaries, even when nationally strong. In a path-breaking study that travels seven hundred ye...(展开全部)