DOC African Voices on Slavery and the Slave Trade: Volume 2; Essays on Sources and Methods by From Bellagamba Alice in History

Description

In this book; Julia Ching offers a survey of over 4;000 years of Chinese civilization through an examination of the relationship between kingship and mysticism. She investigates the sage-king myth and ideal; arguing that institutions of kingship were bound up with cultivation of trance states and communication with spirits. Over time; the sage-king myth became a model for the actual ruler. As a paradigm; it was also appropriated by private individuals who strove for wisdom without becoming kings. As the Confucian tradition interacted with the Taoist and the Buddhist; the religious character of spiritual and mystical cultivation became more pronounced. But the sage-king idea continued; promoting expectations of benevolent despotism rather than democratization in Chinese civilization.