Joseph Levenson Collection (Five Volumes) + Gift: Joseph Levenson Canvas Tote Bag

**Pre-order the complete five-volume Joseph Levenson collection and receive a complimentary Joseph Levenson canvas tote bag (Dimensions: 33x37x9cm, Material: Canvas; see the last reference image for details).** ***Expected Shipping: Mid to Late April*** **A Legendary Historian's Masterworks: The Definitive New Translations** **Foreword by Thomas Levenson, Professor at MIT and son of Joseph Levenson** **Introductory Essays by Vera C. Hsueh, Mark C. Elliott, Dong Yue, Gloria Davies, Timothy Cheek, and Geremie R. Barmé** **1. *Confucian China and Its Modern Fate: A Trilogy*** "The act of writing history is itself a historical act." Joseph R. Levenson, a prodigiously talented American historian, gained renown for his foundational research into the modern intellectual history of China, earning him the title "the Mozart of historiography." The numerous themes he introduced in his profoundly influential works—such as those on empire and nation, tradition and modernity, science and Confucianism, classicism and historicism—have provided the academic community studying China with a comprehensive framework for thought and dialogue for over half a century. *Confucian China and Its Modern Fate: A Trilogy*, Levenson's seminal work, focuses on the "integrated yet precarious intellectual world" of modern China under the impact of modernity. Published in three volumes between 1958 and 1965, the first volume, *The Problem of Ideological Continuity*, and the second, *The Problem of Political Continuity*, explore the demise of Confucian China and the rupture of tradition from intellectual and institutional perspectives. The third volume, *The Problem of Historical Identity*, analyzes how the "wandering soul" of Confucianism, in a new sense, could provide continuity for a China that had undergone modern revolution. **2. *Liang Qichao and the Intellectual Revolution in China, 1895–1949*** "Liang Qichao's thought was his prison." His contradictions, his constant transformations, were in answer to what question? When that question is found, the key to intellectual history is found. *Liang Qichao and the Intellectual Revolution in China, 1895–1949*, the first monograph by American historian Joseph Levenson, traces the intellectual evolution of the modern Chinese intellectual Liang Qichao through three phases— "Metamorphosis," "Brave New World," and "Remembrance of Things Past"—exploring how, caught in the anguish of historical and value conflict, he broke free from tradition to embrace progressivism and the modern West, only to retreat into anachronism in the last decade of his life, defiantly guarding "the territory of old China." The author's perspective extends beyond the individual thinker, interweaving the interaction between history and the personal throughout the book. Through the "inevitable contradictions" and "rational imperfections" in Liang's thought, he continually reflects on history, revealing the vibrant, complex landscape of modern Chinese intellectual history and the essence of its transformations. "Liang Qichao’s long journey home encountered the younger generation midway. He arrived at the anti-traditional stance after a near-total heartbreak, and what the young received from him was a state of nature, a free gift, a starting point. What was but the tip of an iceberg to him (beneath the surface lay his deep affection for traditional culture) was a cornerstone for the young. They followed him for a while, not saying they would follow him forever. This is why the 'New Youth' of *New Youth* seemed to say the same things as Liang Qichao, but rarely said them with him. Because their language was not truly the same, and their 'same' thoughts were not the same. When World War I changed the environment in which these ideas evolved, Liang’s thinking was fundamentally determined to be out of step with the times." **3. *Levenson*** Levenson's work is highly debated; why is it considered a "genius achievement" and "the pinnacle of historical art"? "Like Mozart, he created something more meaningful than mere virtuosity through his exquisite craft." Includes Levenson's unfinished essay, "Choosing Jewish Identity." Joseph R. Levenson (1920–1969), a prodigiously talented American historian, gained renown for his foundational research into the modern intellectual history of China, earning him the title "the Mozart of historiography." The numerous themes he introduced in his profoundly influential works—such as those on empire and nation, tradition and modernity, science and Confucianism, classicism and historicism—have provided the academic community studying China with a comprehensive framework for thought and dialogue for over half a century. In 1987, the Association for Asian Studies established the "Joseph Levenson Book Prize" to commemorate his academic contributions. This volume comprises a collection of essays focusing on Levenson's writings, contributed by prominent scholars in North American Chinese studies, including John King Fairbank, Albert Feuerwerker, Benjamin Schwartz, Jonathan Spence, Philip C. C. Huang, and John W. Chaffee. They recount Levenson's academic life and personal experiences, explore his perspectives and contributions, and engage in in-depth discussions from an academic critique standpoint. These essays, on the one hand, offer diverse approaches to reading and understanding Levenson; on the other hand, they confirm and demonstrate how Levenson's theories continue to participate in the dialogue between history and reality, providing inexhaustible inspiration and momentum for the development of Chinese studies. The book concludes with Levenson's own unpublished manuscript, "Choosing Jewish Identity," considered essential reading for a deeper understanding of his intellectual trajectory. **4. *Interpreting China's Past*** Abridged lecture notes from UC Berkeley's survey of Chinese history, translated for the first time. Not a mere accumulation of historical information and details. "We try to make the study of history a process of deepening intellectual complexity." In the 1960s, Joseph R. Levenson (1920–1969) and Franz Schurmann (1926–2010) taught a course on Chinese history at the University of California, Berkeley. The sections on "Early China" from their lecture notes were published posthumously as this book, *Interpreting China's Past: From Origins to the Han Dynasty*. Unlike typical surveys of Chinese history, this book, alongside historical narratives, introduces critical analyses of key concepts and frameworks in intellectual history in each chapter, leading to profound reflections on the writing and study of history. In Levenson's view, Chinese history is not simply a linear progression based on dynastic changes but "an extreme diversity that has repeatedly reconstituted China into a unified whole." **5. *Revolution and Cosmopolitanism*** The unfinished legacy on the typewriter, Levenson's belated concern. How does the uniqueness of Chinese history reconcile with universal world history? What is the "new form of cosmopolitanism" Levenson pursued? "Man's nature is not universal, but his history is." With a lengthy preface by Frederic Wakeman, Jr., detailing the new "trilogy" following *Confucian China and Its Modern Fate*. After completing *Confucian China and Its Modern Fate*, Joseph R. Levenson (1920–1969) originally planned to write a new trilogy centered on "localism and cosmopolitanism." Due to his untimely death, the work remained unfinished. This volume contains parts of the third installment of that trilogy, based on research using materials such as Western drama translations from the 20th century onwards collected at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Faced with the modern predicament of Chinese cultural identity, how did emerging cosmopolitans respond in their own ways to fundamental anxieties about the past and present, the universal and the particular? And on what level did their opponents—"their counterparts, their brothers"—the localist cultural revolutionaries, resonate deeply with them? The book includes a long preface by Levenson's student and colleague, Professor Frederic Wakeman, Jr. (1937–2006) of the History Department at UC Berkeley. Based on Levenson's writings, unpublished notes, and drafts, the preface details the background of this research and its continuation and breakthroughs within Levenson's intellectual context. ----------------------------------------- **Author** ** *Confucian China and Its Modern Fate*, *Liang Qichao and the Intellectual Revolution in China, 1895–1949*, *Levenson*, *Interpreting China's Past*, *Revolution and Cosmopolitanism*** **Joseph R. Levenson (1920–1969)** The first Sather Professor of History at the University of California, Berkeley, he gained renown for his foundational research into the modern intellectual history of China, earning him the title "the Mozart of historiography." Driven by sincere humanistic concern, Levenson dedicated himself to finding new meanings within old problems. Simultaneously, he transcended the boundaries of Western Sinology and social sciences, integrating a universal perspective of human civilization with the uniqueness of the Chinese experience, thereby advancing the writing of Chinese history into the discourse of world history. The numerous themes he introduced in his works—such as those on empire and nation, tradition and modernity, science and Confucianism, classicism and historicism—have, for over half a century since his accidental death, provided the academic community studying China with a comprehensive framework for thought and dialogue. In 1987, the Association for Asian Studies established the "Joseph Levenson Book Prize" to commemorate his academic contributions. ** *Interpreting China's Past*** **Franz Schurmann (1926–2010)** Former Professor of History and Sociology, and Director of the Center for Chinese Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. His research areas included modern Chinese history, international politics, and the Vietnam War. His works include *Ideology and Organization in Communist China* and *The Logic of World Power: An Inquiry into the Origins, Currents, and Contradictions of World Politics*. **Editor** ** *Levenson*** **Maurice Meisner (1931–2012)** Former Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, specializing in 20th-century Chinese history. His works include *Mao's China: A History of the People's Republic* and *Li Ta-chao and the Origins of Chinese Marxism*. **Rhoads Murphey (1919–2012)** Former Professor of History at the University of Michigan and President of the Association for Asian Studies. He conducted research in modern Chinese history, Asian agricultural history, modern Indian history, and geography. His representative works include *Shanghai: Key to Modern China*, *The Outsiders: The Western Experience in India and China*, and *The Fading of the Maoist Vision: City and Country in China’s Development*. **Translator** ** *Confucian China and Its Modern Fate*** **Liu Wennan** Ph.D. in History from the University of California, Berkeley. Currently an Associate Research Fellow at the Institute of Modern History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, specializing in the history of the Republic of China and intellectual history of the New Culture Movement. ** *Liang Qichao and the Intellectual Revolution in China, 1895–1949*** **Sheng Yun** Ph.D. in Literature, Researcher at the Institute of Literature, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, and Contributing Editor for the *Shanghai Review of Books*. Her translated works include *Musical Anecdotes*, *The Great Conductors*, and *Who Doesn't Love to Be Treated Like a Saint?*. Her Chinese essays are published in periodicals such as the *Shanghai Review of Books*, *Dushu*, and *Foreign Literature*. Her English essays appear in the *London Review of Books* and *The Times Literary Supplement*. ** *Levenson*** **Zeng Xiaoshun** Ph.D. in History from the University of Washington, with research interests in the history of modern Chinese medicine and frontier ethnic history. **Zhang Ping** Professor of Chinese and East Asian Studies at Tel Aviv University, Israel. His research focuses on cross-cultural dialogue between Jewish and Chinese traditions, and he is also involved in the Chinese translation and annotation of Rabbinic Jewish texts. ** *Interpreting China's Past*, *Revolution and Cosmopolitanism*** **Dong Yue** The Shuyung Chair Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the Chinese Studies Program at the University of Washington. Her primary research interests are in modern Chinese history, particularly social and cultural history and urban history. Her works include *Beijing in the Republican Era: History and Nostalgia*, and she has co-edited *The Modern Girl Around the World: Consumption, Modernity, and Globalization* and *Everyday Modernity in China*.