Cultural Realism Strategic Culture and Grand Strategy in Chinese History / Alastair Iain Johnston.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Johnston, Alastair Iain.

Series:

Princeton studies in international history and politics

Princeton paperbacks

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiii, 307 pages) : illustrations, map

Manufacture:

Baltimore, Md. : Project MUSE, 2021

Place of Publication:

Princeton, NJ : Princeton Univ. Press, 1998.

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Cultural Realism is an in-depth study of premodern Chinese strategic thought that has important implications for contemporary international relations theory. In applying a Western theoretical debate to China, Iain Johnston advances rigorous procedures for testing for the existence and influence of "strategic culture." Johnston sets out to answer two empirical questions. Is there a substantively consistent and temporally persistent Chinese strategic culture? If so, to what extent has it influenced China's approaches to security? The focus of his study is the Ming dynasty's grand strategy against the Mongols (1368-1644). First Johnston examines ancient military texts as sources of Chinese strategic culture, using cognitive mapping, symbolic analysis and congruence tests to determine whether there is a consistent grand strategic preference ranking across texts that constitutes a single strategic culture. Then he applies similar techniques to determine the effect of the strategic culture on the strategic preferences of the Ming decision makers. Finally, he assesses the effect of these preferences on Ming policies towards the Mongol "threat." The findings of this book challenge dominant interpretations of traditional Chinese strategic thought. They suggest also that the roots of realpolitik are ideational and not predominantly structural. The results lead to the surprising conclusion that there may be, in fact, fewer cross-national differences in strategic culture than proponents of the "strategic culture" approach think.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

PREFACE

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

APPENDIX A. CODING PROCEDURES

APPENDIX B. TERMS USED TO DESCRIBE LEGITIMATE ACTIONS DIRECTED AT AN ADVERSARY

APPENDIX B. TERMS USED TO DESCRIBE OUTCOMES OF ACTIONS AGAINST AN ADVERSARY1

APPENDIX C. Map of Northern Border Areas in the Ming Period

REFERENCES

INDEX

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [275]-291) and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780691029962

0691029962

9780691213149

0691213143

OCLC:

1227052099