Convict politics from utopia to serfdom in early China (221 BCE-23 CE) Liang Cai

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cai, Liang, 1977- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Criminals--Rehabilitation--China--History.

Criminals.

Political culture--China--History.

Political culture.

Justice, Administration of--China--History.

Justice, Administration of.

China--Politics and government--221 B.C.-220 A.D.

China.

Criminals--Rehabilitation.

Politics and government.

Genre:

History

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Cambridge Cambridge University Press 2026

Summary:

"In this innovative history, Liang Cai examines newly excavated manuscripts alongside traditional sources to explore convict politics in the early Chinese empires, proposing a new framework for understanding Confucian discussions of law and legal practice. While a substantial number of convict laborers helped operate the local bureaucratic apparatus in early China, the central court re-employed numerous previously convicted men as high officials. She argues that convict politics emerged, because, while the system often criminalized individuals, including the innocent, it was simultaneously juxtaposed with redemption policies and frequent amnesties in pursuit of a crime-free utopia. This dual system paralyzed the justice system, provoking intense Confucian criticism and resulting in a deep-seated skepticism toward law in the Chinese tradition, with a long-lasting political legacy"-- Cambridge Core

Contents:

Convict politics and convict economy : administrative space as open prison in local governments

Convicts as officials : disparities between philosophical ideals and real-world politics

The mutual-responsibility system : criminalizing the innocent

Brutal perfectionism : criminalizing job performance and the collapse of justice

Performance legitimacy : absolute liabilities, heavy punishments, and collective lies

Redemption : political economy and sacrificed justice

Imperial amnesty : correcting excessive punishment and regaining loyalty

Universal amnesty : from utopian dream to His Majesty’s splendor

The body politic and the parents metaphor : universal amnesty and the loss of individual justice

Technical bureaucrats’ law and Confucian virtue : political elites and bureaucratic hierarchy

Tutor to the crown prince and chancellor of the empire : Confucian dream and political reality in Western Han China (206 BCE-9 CE)

Conclusion : from philosophical ideals to practical realities

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index

Online resource; title from PDF title page (Cambridge Core, viewed January 19, 2026)

Other Format:

Print version Cai, Liang, 1977- Convict politics

ISBN:

9781009019866

1009019864

OCLC:

1515130834

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license