
The Silk Road
Connecting Histories and Futures
Tim Winter(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 27. April 2022
Book
Paperback/Softback
276 pages
978-0-19-760506-6 (ISBN)
Description
From the Great Game to the present, an international cultural and political biography of one of our most evocative, compelling, and poorly understood narratives of history.
The Silk Road is rapidly becoming one of the key geocultural and geostrategic concepts of the twenty-first century. Yet, for much of the twentieth century the Silk Road received little attention, overshadowed by nationalism and its invented pasts, and a world dominated by conflict and Cold War standoffs. In The Silk Road, Tim Winter reveals the different paths this history of connected cultures took towards global fame, a century after the first evidence of contact between China and Europe was unearthed. He also reveals how this remarkably popular depiction of the past took hold as a platform for geopolitical ambition, a celebration of peace and cosmopolitan harmony, and created dreams of exploration and grand adventure. Winter further explores themes that reappear today as China seeks to revive the Silk Roads for the twenty-first century. Known across the globe, the Silk Road is a concept fit for the modern world, and yet its significance and origins remain poorly understood and are the subject of much confusion. Pathbreaking in its analysis, this book presents an entirely new reading of this increasingly important concept, one that is likely to remain at the center of world affairs for decades to come.
The Silk Road is rapidly becoming one of the key geocultural and geostrategic concepts of the twenty-first century. Yet, for much of the twentieth century the Silk Road received little attention, overshadowed by nationalism and its invented pasts, and a world dominated by conflict and Cold War standoffs. In The Silk Road, Tim Winter reveals the different paths this history of connected cultures took towards global fame, a century after the first evidence of contact between China and Europe was unearthed. He also reveals how this remarkably popular depiction of the past took hold as a platform for geopolitical ambition, a celebration of peace and cosmopolitan harmony, and created dreams of exploration and grand adventure. Winter further explores themes that reappear today as China seeks to revive the Silk Roads for the twenty-first century. Known across the globe, the Silk Road is a concept fit for the modern world, and yet its significance and origins remain poorly understood and are the subject of much confusion. Pathbreaking in its analysis, this book presents an entirely new reading of this increasingly important concept, one that is likely to remain at the center of world affairs for decades to come.
Reviews / Votes
Tim Winter reexamines the idea of the 'Silk Road' and shows that it has had a range of meanings over time, with significance for groups as far apart as geopoliticians and travel writers. This is a stimulating read that illuminates many aspects of the Sino-Western relationship. * Rana Mitter, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China, University of Oxford * This remarkable and ambitious book could not be more timely, given the necessity of understanding the 'Silk Road(s)' in this time of deepening global shifts and tensions. Winter combines extraordinary scholarly depth and breadth, as he draws apart the many elements, ideas, and associations ascribed to this compelling geocultural and geostrategic concept. By looking at the intersections of popular culture, political events, and expert commentary, he shows how 'the Silk Road' is used by different actors, in evolving ways, to make historical, cultural, and political claims around space, connectivity, and values. This book is an interdisciplinary masterpiece and deserves close attention from all analysts of the Silk Road. * Emma Mawdsley, Professor of Human Geography and Fellow of Newnham College, University of Cambridge *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
29 b&w halftones
Dimensions
Height: 233 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
393 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-760506-6 (9780197605066)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
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Book
04/2022
Oxford University Press Inc
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E-Book
01/2022
OUP eBook
€16.49
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E-Book
01/2022
OUP eBook
€16.49
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Person
Tim Winter is an Australian Research Council Professorial Future Fellow at the University of Western Australia. His work addresses how the past comes to be constructed and reconstructed for public audiences and for diplomatic, geopolitical, and nationalistic purposes. His most recent book is Geocultural Power: China's Quest to Revive the Silk Roads for the Twenty First Century (2019).
Author
Professor in Critical Heritage StudiesProfessor in Critical Heritage Studies, University of Western Australia
Content
List of Illustrations
Preface
"The Silk Road," Morning Bulletin, May 1943
1 Introduction Part One - Connecting Cultures
2 The Routes of Civilization
3 Frontiers of Antiquity
4 Japan as Asia? Part Two - Adventures into Cosmopolitanism
5 The Car-tographies of Adventure
6 Closed Worlds, Open Minds Part Three - A Route to Peace?
7 A Divided World
8 Civilizations in Dialogue Part Four - Geopolitics
9 Metaphors of Power
10 Geostrategic Revivals
11 Silk Road Futures Appendix A
Appendix B
Bibliography
Index
Preface
"The Silk Road," Morning Bulletin, May 1943
1 Introduction Part One - Connecting Cultures
2 The Routes of Civilization
3 Frontiers of Antiquity
4 Japan as Asia? Part Two - Adventures into Cosmopolitanism
5 The Car-tographies of Adventure
6 Closed Worlds, Open Minds Part Three - A Route to Peace?
7 A Divided World
8 Civilizations in Dialogue Part Four - Geopolitics
9 Metaphors of Power
10 Geostrategic Revivals
11 Silk Road Futures Appendix A
Appendix B
Bibliography
Index