{"product_id":"the-art-of-being-governed-everyday-politics-in-late-imperial-china-9780691197241","title":"The Art of Being Governed: Everyday Politics in Late Imperial China","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn innovative look at how families in Ming dynasty China negotiated military and political obligations to the state\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHow did ordinary people in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) deal with the demands of the state? In \u003ci\u003eThe Art of Being Governed\u003c\/i\u003e, Michael Szonyi explores the myriad ways that families fulfilled their obligations to provide a soldier to the army. The complex strategies they developed to manage their responsibilities suggest a new interpretation of an important period in China's history as well as a broader theory of politics. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eUsing previously untapped sources, including lineage genealogies and internal family documents, Szonyi examines how soldiers and their families living on China's southeast coast minimized the costs and maximized the benefits of meeting government demands for manpower. Families that had to provide a soldier for the army set up elaborate rules to ensure their obligation was fulfilled, and to provide incentives for the soldier not to desert his post. People in the system found ways to gain advantages for themselves and their families. For example, naval officers used the military's protection to engage in the very piracy and smuggling they were supposed to suppress. Szonyi demonstrates through firsthand accounts how subjects of the Ming state operated in a space between defiance and compliance, and how paying attention to this middle ground can help us better understand not only Ming China but also other periods and places. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eCombining traditional scholarship with innovative fieldwork in the villages where descendants of Ming subjects still live, \u003ci\u003eThe Art of Being Governed\u003c\/i\u003e illustrates the ways that arrangements between communities and the state hundreds of years ago have consequences and relevance for how we look at diverse cultures and societies, even today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Michael Szonyi\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Princeton University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/27\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 328\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.10lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.73d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780691197241\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMichael Szonyi\u003c\/b\u003e is professor of Chinese history and director of the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University. His books include \u003ci\u003ePracticing Kinship: Lineage and Descent in Late Imperial China\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eCold War Island: Quemoy on the Front Line\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":40473646563443,"sku":"9.78069E+12","price":44.72,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/9255\/0515\/products\/img_fefed71c-627b-494f-bb3f-eed4946647f5.jpg?v=1664372584","url":"https:\/\/bookstorenmore.com\/products\/the-art-of-being-governed-everyday-politics-in-late-imperial-china-9780691197241","provider":"Bookstore N More","version":"1.0","type":"link"}