Slavery in Early China
A Socio-Cultural Approach
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6015122 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Robin D S Yates (McGill University, corresponding author), Robin Yates |
| Year | 2001 |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 283-331 |
| Publication date | 2001-01-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of East Asian Archaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1387-6813 • E-ISSN: 1568-5233 |
| Publisher | Brill (PUBLISHER • NL) |
| DOI | 10.1163/156852301100402723 |
| OpenAlex | W2052442162 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 11 |
This essay analyzes the nature of slavery in early China from a comparative sociocultural perspective, using the sociological approach of Orlando Patterson (Slavery and Social Death, 1982). Marxist and other theoretical positions are rejected in favor of viewing slaves not as the object of property, but rather seeing that slaves could not be the subject of property. In other words, slaves are “dominated non-persons.” The focus of the inquiry is on interpreting the diverse materials relating to slaves in the Qin legal documents discovered at Shuihudi, Hunan Province, in 1975. Brief consideration is given to other statuses, such as the convict status of lichen and liqie (male and female bondservants), and whether they should be considered slaves or not. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of analyzing early Chinese slavery within its culturally rich context of ritual and cosmological conceptions and practices
Archaeology · China · Context (archaeology · Convict · Criminology · Epistemology · Linguistics · Marxist philosophy · Object (grammar · Perspective (graphical · Political science · Politics · Property (philosophy · Social science · Sociocultural evolution · Sociology · Subject (documents · Anthropology · China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance · Chinese history and philosophy · Gender Studies · History · Japanese History and Culture · Law · Philosophy
Slavery and Forced Labour in Early China and the Roman World
The Shang Economy
Husbands and Wives in Qin and Han-Dynasty Bamboo Legal Texts
Promoting Diversity, Inclusion and Equity by Not Mandating Theories and Ideologies in Social Work
The Qin Slips and Boards From Well No. 1, Liye, Hunan
The Question of Interpretation
Diets, social roles, and geographical origins of sacrificial victims at the royal cemetery at Yinxu, Shang China
Writing the History of Slavery
Discrepancy between Laws and their Implementation
Women, Rituals, and the Domestic-Political Distinction in the Confucian Classics
Écrire l'histoire de l'esclavage
| Citations per year | 0.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2004 - 2025 (22) |
| Highly cited | No |