China as Context - (Alternative Sinology) by Di Wu & Andrea E Pia & Ed Pulford (Hardcover)

About the Book

China as context challenges the marginalization of Chinese-grounded ideas in academia, arguing that neglecting China distorts our understanding of global complexities. Through diverse ethnographic perspectives, this volume repositions China as a key agent in knowledge production, urging a holistic, post-global approach to the social sciences amid shifting global dynamics.

Book Synopsis

Decades-old calls to recognise China's significance for anthropological theory and the social sciences are more urgent than ever. Yet, Chinese-grounded ideas remain marginal, with China often seen as an 'Other' rather than a source of widely applicable theory. Drawing on East Asian postcolonial scholarship, this volume argues that without taking China seriously as a knowledge producer and a key agent in a post-global world, social scientists risk misinterpreting the global present. As Western globalisation wanes and anthropology reassesses the relationship between ethnography and theory, we show how 'China' must be understood as an ordinary, integral context for research worldwide.

From the Back Cover

Despite its undeniable relevance, Chinese-grounded ideas languish at the periphery of scholarly discourse, perpetuating the notion of China as an enigmatic 'Other'. Drawing inspiration from East Asian postcolonial scholarship, this collective volume boldly contends that neglecting China undermines our ability to decipher the complexities of today's global landscape as well as the ordinary lives of people living at the cusp of a new Cold War.

Through the lens of anthropologists hailing from diverse academic backgrounds spanning China, the UK, Europe, and North America, China as context delivers a compelling synthesis of ethnographic richness and theoretical depth. Collectively, this volume unveils China as a powerful agent, a locus of knowledge production, and a new discursive topos of an emerging post-global imaginary foundational to the analysis of the present. Amidst the waning era of Western globalization, this anthology elucidates how understanding 'China' as the ordinary 'context' for research practices worldwide is imperative.

As anthropological understandings of ethnography and theory and their relation shift, China as context positions itself at the forefront of a vitally necessary conversation. It questions the role of China in knowledge production and advocates for a renewed holistic approach to the social sciences that transcends geographical boundaries and reengages scholarly inquiry with the context of its production.

About the Author

Di Wu is a Departmental Lecturer at the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography at the University of Oxford.
Andrea E. Pia is Assistant Professor in Anthropology at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Ed Pulford is an Anthropologist and Senior Lecturer in Chinese Studies at the University of Manchester.