Enemies of Civilization : Attitudes Toward Foreigners in Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China

by Poo, Mu-Chou; Pu, Muzhou

• ISBN13: 9780791463635
• ISBN10: 079146363X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-02-03
• Publisher: State Univ of New York Pr

Summary

"Enemies of Civilization is a work of comparative history and cultural consciousness that discusses how "others" were perceived in there ancient civilizations: Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China. Each civilization was the dominant culture in its part of the world, and each developed a mind-set that regarded itself as culturally superior to its neighbors. Mu-chou Poo compares these societies' attitudes toward other cultures and finds differences and similarities that reveal the self-perceptions of each society. Notably, this work shows that in contrast to modern racism bases on biophysical features, such prejudice did not exist in these ancient societies. It was culture rather than biophysical nature that was the most important criterion for distinguishing "us from "them. By examining how societies conceive their prejudices, this book breaks new ground in the study of ancient history and opens new ways to look at human society, both ancient and modern.

Author Biography

Mu-chou Poo is Professor and Research Fellow in the Institute of History and Philology at Academia Sinica in Taiwan.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	ix
Preface	xi
List of Abbreviations	xv
Chronological Table	xvii
1. Introduction	1	(22)
The Question about The Others	1	(6)
Ethnic Theories and Ancient History	7	(2)
Choice of Subjects	9	(3)
About the Comparative Study of History	12	(6)
Structure, Scope, and Sources	18	(5)
2. In Search of Cultural Identity	23	(14)
Geography	23	(6)
Language	29	(5)
Looking for Foreigners	34	(3)
3. Representations	37	(31)
Designations of Self and Others	38	(10)
Textual and Graphic Evidence	48	(20)
4. Relations and Attitudes	68	(33)
Enemies	68	(12)
Demons	80	(4)
Friends and Allies	84	(9)
From Apprehension to Appreciation	93	(8)
5. Foreigners Within	101	(20)
Social Positions	101	(13)
Foreign Goods and Languages	114	(7)
6. The Transformation of the Barbarians	121	(24)
To Assimilate or Not to Assimilate	121	(21)
Between Ideology and Reality	142	(3)
7. Conclusion	145	(16)
The Illusive Others	146	(5)
Official Ideology and Private Sentiments	151	(1)
The Comparative Gaze	151	(3)
The Problem of Great Civilizations	154	(7)
Notes	161	(26)
Bibliography	187	(22)
Index	209