China and the Christian Impact
Encyclopedia
China and the Christian Impact was published in 1985 as the English translation of Jacques Gernet
's Chine et christianisme of 1982. It received considerable attention from academic circles dealing with China
and the Jesuit mission
, mainly because of its approach to the subject from an almost exclusively Chinese point of view. In this Gernet differs much from previous studies on the China mission, the most famous up to that point perhaps being the Jesuit George Dunne's Generation of Giants (1962), which analyzes the Jesuit China mission
from a decidedly eurocentric
perspective. In spite of the wide range of source material consulted by its author, Gernet's book has been criticized on account of its apparent anachronisms, and lack of explanatory background information when dealing with historically related events.
Jacques Gernet
Professor Jacques Gernet is an eminent French sinologist of the second half of the 20th century. His best-known work is The Chinese Civilization, a 900 page summary of Chinese history and civilization which has been translated into many languages.Gernet obtained a degree in classics at Algiers in...
's Chine et christianisme of 1982. It received considerable attention from academic circles dealing with China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and the Jesuit mission
Jesuit China missions
The history of the missions of the Jesuits in China is part of the history of relations between China and the Western world. The missionary efforts and other work of the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, between the 16th and 17th century played a significant role in continuing the transmission of...
, mainly because of its approach to the subject from an almost exclusively Chinese point of view. In this Gernet differs much from previous studies on the China mission, the most famous up to that point perhaps being the Jesuit George Dunne's Generation of Giants (1962), which analyzes the Jesuit China mission
Jesuit China missions
The history of the missions of the Jesuits in China is part of the history of relations between China and the Western world. The missionary efforts and other work of the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, between the 16th and 17th century played a significant role in continuing the transmission of...
from a decidedly eurocentric
Eurocentrism
Eurocentrism is the practice of viewing the world from a European perspective and with an implied belief, either consciously or subconsciously, in the preeminence of European culture...
perspective. In spite of the wide range of source material consulted by its author, Gernet's book has been criticized on account of its apparent anachronisms, and lack of explanatory background information when dealing with historically related events.
Sources
- Gernet, Jacques, Chine et christianisme. Action et réaction, Paris: Gallimard, 1982. (reedited in 1991 as Chine et christianisme. La première confrontation)
- Gernet, Jacques and Lloyd, Janet (transl.), China and the Christian Impact. A Conflict of Cultures, Cambridge: Cambridge University PressCambridge University PressCambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
, 1985
Reviews
- Ching, Julia in: History of religions 27(1), August 1987
- Barrett, T.H. in: Journal of Ecclesiastical History 38 (1), January 1987
- Cohen, Paul A. in: Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 47 (2), 1987
- Pratt, Keith in: Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 51 (1), 1988
- Mungello, David E. in: Catholic Historical Review 74 (1), January 1988
- Spence, Jonathan D. in: China Quarterly 108, 1986
- Simon Leys : The Burning Forest, August 1988