Economy: Social History Review

Author: Hou Jianxin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: This issue features 18 articles, focusing on the following five sections:
Transformation and Differentiation: Throughout human history, there have been various social transformations, such as from savagery to civilization, from agriculture to industry, from monarchy to republic, and from planned economy to market economy, among others. Each major transformation inevitably leads to the differentiation of social classes, resulting in social upheaval. How to achieve the best social transformation with the smallest social cost is a perpetual pursuit of humanity. The three articles in this section explore the living conditions of British workers during the Industrial Revolution, the process and reasons by which former Soviet Party and government officials became big capitalists after Russia's privatization, and the poverty of the lower classes in early modern England.
Ecology and Environment: Since humans began production activities that exploit nature, they have faced the challenge of maintaining ecological balance. Industrialization has cost humanity a heavy price in this regard. Today, can we learn from the lessons of our ancestors? The four articles in this section examine agriculture in Rome and Han China, the protection of the ecology by traditional Chinese agriculture, people's attitudes toward forests and mountains during the Qin and Han dynasties, and the pollution and governance of the Thames River in modern England.
Ideology and Institutions: Ancient China and Western Europe had different political ideologies and institutions, though there were also similarities. Historians have studied these differences and similarities from various perspectives. The four articles in this section explore the sense of guilt of ancient Chinese subjects before their rulers, the concept of freedom in medieval Western Europe, the contradictions in the political system revealed by the lottery issue in late Qing China, and the extent to which Tudor royal power was constrained, as reflected in the assistance system.
Religion and Mythology: Domestic academic research on religion and mythology in Western history has produced numerous achievements. However, overall, the field still lacks depth. This section features two articles by internationally renowned foreign authors, invited as special contributions, on the topics of religion and death in medieval Western Europe. The other two articles explore the career of medieval British clergy and Greek mythology.
Humanities and Science: What is the relationship between the humanities and natural sciences? What kind of relationship should they have? This was a heatedly debated topic in Western academia decades ago. Today, the split between these two fields in China is very severe. The three articles in this section record a historic dialogue between Qian Mu, a master in the humanities, and Yang Zhenning, a giant in the natural sciences, separated by 40 years, on this issue; the second article analyzes how medieval Western Scholastic philosophy, seemingly in opposition to natural sciences, nurtured modern scientific thinking; and the third article analyzes various rituals in human society from a historical perspective.