New Perspectives in Family History Research

Author: Zhang Guogang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-08-19
Features: The newly edited collection New Perspectives on the Study of Family History serves as one of the outcomes of the project "Chinese Family History Research." It aims to showcase the recent developments, achievements, new problem awareness, and innovative research methods in the study of Chinese family history both internationally and domestically. Most of the papers are contributions from scholars attending the conference, while others were specifically written for this collection. It is impossible to comprehensively cover all historical periods and aspects of Chinese family history in a single research collection, but this will be a collection of essays by Chinese and foreign scholars delving deeply into the study of Chinese family history. To facilitate easy reference and utilization, the essays are arranged in chronological order, covering various aspects such as family demography and patterns, family life and livelihood, family division and succession, gender relations and family roles, as well as comparative studies of Chinese and foreign family histories. These papers are highly innovative, either presenting new perspectives, raising new questions, utilizing new materials, or offering fresh insights. In summary, we hope that the publication of this collection will not only showcase the latest achievements in the study of Chinese family history but also play a positive role in advancing future research in family history and even social history. Professor Li Zhongqing's "Preface" highlights the various ways in which international academia has broken through traditional "myths" and proposed new insights in the study of Chinese family history, somewhat compensating for the collection's shortcomings in fully reflecting the new accomplishments of the field.