Asian Studies Seminar Series: Brian Lander In brief Guest Speaker - Dr Brian Lander (Brown University) Title - "The Ecology of China's First Empire" Abstract by Brian Lander By encouraging us to rethink familiar historical processes through an ecological lens, the field of environmental history provides new insights into the past. My book 'The King’s Harvest' uses such an ecological perspective to examine the formation of political organizations in early China. Since early political systems were funded by the grain taxes of common farmers, it follows that these systems literally ran on solar energy collected by plants, so we should think of them as organizations dedicated to mobilizing photosynthetic energy. Early states devoted much of that energy to assembling large groups of men to fight with other groups of armed men, but they also used it to expand farmland and increase the human population in the interests of increasing their tax income. This paper will use these insights to explore the history of the state and empire of Qin (c. 800-207 BCE). Qin established the centralized bureaucratic empire which became the standard model of political organization in China, bequeathing subsequent empires with administrative skills that helped them thoroughly transform East Asia’s environments. About the speaker Brian Lander is assistant professor of history at Brown University, and a fellow of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society. He has published articles on several aspects of China’s environmental history as well as a book, 'The King’s Harvest: A Political Ecology of China from the First Farmers to the First Empire'. The book just received the James Henry Breasted Prize for the best book in English on any field of history prior to the year 1000 CE. About the seminar series Each year, Asian Studies welcomes a fantastic range of guest speakers and colleagues to present a seminar on their research, spanning fields as diverse as film and media, literature, religion, society, politics and international relations. How to join Events are free and everyone is welcome. No booking is necessary. Are you interested in studying with us? We are the only university in Scotland to offer full undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes in both Chinese and Japanese, as well as postgraduate programmes in Korean Studies and East Asian Relations. Find out more about Asian Studies at Edinburgh Nov 02 2022 16.00 - 18.00 Asian Studies Seminar Series: Brian Lander Join us in person for a seminar by Dr Brian Lander (Brown University) on early political systems in China viewed through an ecological and environmental history perspective. LG.10, 40 George Square, The University of Edinburgh Edinburgh EH8 9JX
Asian Studies Seminar Series: Brian Lander In brief Guest Speaker - Dr Brian Lander (Brown University) Title - "The Ecology of China's First Empire" Abstract by Brian Lander By encouraging us to rethink familiar historical processes through an ecological lens, the field of environmental history provides new insights into the past. My book 'The King’s Harvest' uses such an ecological perspective to examine the formation of political organizations in early China. Since early political systems were funded by the grain taxes of common farmers, it follows that these systems literally ran on solar energy collected by plants, so we should think of them as organizations dedicated to mobilizing photosynthetic energy. Early states devoted much of that energy to assembling large groups of men to fight with other groups of armed men, but they also used it to expand farmland and increase the human population in the interests of increasing their tax income. This paper will use these insights to explore the history of the state and empire of Qin (c. 800-207 BCE). Qin established the centralized bureaucratic empire which became the standard model of political organization in China, bequeathing subsequent empires with administrative skills that helped them thoroughly transform East Asia’s environments. About the speaker Brian Lander is assistant professor of history at Brown University, and a fellow of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society. He has published articles on several aspects of China’s environmental history as well as a book, 'The King’s Harvest: A Political Ecology of China from the First Farmers to the First Empire'. The book just received the James Henry Breasted Prize for the best book in English on any field of history prior to the year 1000 CE. About the seminar series Each year, Asian Studies welcomes a fantastic range of guest speakers and colleagues to present a seminar on their research, spanning fields as diverse as film and media, literature, religion, society, politics and international relations. How to join Events are free and everyone is welcome. No booking is necessary. Are you interested in studying with us? We are the only university in Scotland to offer full undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes in both Chinese and Japanese, as well as postgraduate programmes in Korean Studies and East Asian Relations. Find out more about Asian Studies at Edinburgh Nov 02 2022 16.00 - 18.00 Asian Studies Seminar Series: Brian Lander Join us in person for a seminar by Dr Brian Lander (Brown University) on early political systems in China viewed through an ecological and environmental history perspective. LG.10, 40 George Square, The University of Edinburgh Edinburgh EH8 9JX
Nov 02 2022 16.00 - 18.00 Asian Studies Seminar Series: Brian Lander Join us in person for a seminar by Dr Brian Lander (Brown University) on early political systems in China viewed through an ecological and environmental history perspective.
