The Science of Oriental Society

This book provides a compelling exploration into the distinctive approaches East Asian scholars employ to articulate the peculiarities of Asia's modernity. These narratives are deftly shaped through their interactions with German-American social scientist Karl August Wittfogel.

Yufei Zhou is a specially appointed Associate Professor at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken). She obtained her PhD in Human Sciences from Osaka University. Her research focuses on the history of social sciences in modern East Asia, examining their development and impact within a global context.

Introduction 1. Debut as a Revolutionary Playwright 2. The Way to a "Scientific China Study": Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft Chinas and Japanese Sinology 3. A Work Transcending Borders: Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft Chinas from Japan to Republican China 4. The Turning Point: Wittfogel's Research Sojourn in East Asia 5. "The Theory of Oriental Society" as Wartime Ideology 6. Chinese History Project: Rise and Fall of Cold War Polemics, Then and Now 7. Oriental Despotism: A Controversial Masterwork in both the West and East Epilogue