Anthropology in China: Searching for the Future from the Past

Sep 2026 · Springer Nature

Ebook

488

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About this ebook

This open access book provides a distinctive and vivid survey of anthropology in contemporary China. Comprising approximately 20 essays organized into three parts, it examines leading scholars and their anthropological thought, key geographical themes in Chinese anthropology, and multi-perspectival reflections on the development of anthropology in China. By analyzing the complex fabric of Chinese society, the book advances a nuanced framework for understanding China’s cultural, social, and political transformations. Characterized by rich empirical content, multi-dimensional analysis, and accessible prose, the volume covers a broad range of topics and offers holistic insights into Chinese anthropology while integrating diverse scholarly voices and interdisciplinary methods. Moving beyond conventional anthropological approaches, it incorporates perspectives from sociology, history, and cultural studies to deepen interpretations of Chinese culture and society. Combining ethnographic fieldwork, theoretical inquiry, and firsthand narratives, the book elucidates the diverse traditions, beliefs, and customs that have shaped the evolution of anthropology and ethnography in China. It also strengthens comparative research between China and other regions, enriching global anthropological scholarship with distinctive empirical and theoretical contributions.

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About the author

Wang Mingming is a leading Chinese anthropologist, Professor of anthropology at Peking University, and Distinguished Professor at Huaqiao University. His research covers the space-times of ritual, urban and rural ethnography, historical anthropology, Chinese perspectives of the West, ethnicity, and comparative civilizations.

He has authored many books, including The Historical Dilemma of the “Sinicization” of Western Learning, The Intermediary Circle: The “Tibetan-Yi Corridor” and the Reconceptualization of Anthropology, Empire and Local Worlds, Life Histories and Anthropology, Beyond the “New Warring States”: Wu Wenzao and Fei Xiaotong’s Theories of the Chinese Nation, Suprasocietal Systems: Civilization and China, and The City of Zaitun: Locality and the World in Coastal China.

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