Comparing Ancient Worlds: Comparative History as Comparative Advantage

7 Pages Posted: 2 Apr 2013

Date Written: March 30, 2013

Abstract

The expansion of the system of higher education in China has led to growing interest in the study of western antiquity. This development opens up new opportunities for Chinese academics. This paper argues that they are now in a good position to embrace and promote the comparative study of ancient civilizations in eastern and western Eurasia. This approach would enable Chinese scholarship to establish a fruitful dialogue with its western counterpart and allow it to make a significant contribution to an area of study that has generally tended to be shaped by more traditional perspectives.

Keywords: Comparative history, Ancient History, Classics, Early China

Suggested Citation

Scheidel, Walter, Comparing Ancient Worlds: Comparative History as Comparative Advantage (March 30, 2013). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2242323 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2242323

Walter Scheidel (Contact Author)

Stanford University ( email )

Stanford, CA 94305-2145
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www,stanford.edu/~scheidel

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