Karl august wittfogel 6 september 1896 25 may 1988. Is oriental despotism seen as arising out of subjugation or. Regarding wittfogel s classic work with the politically correct lens of today, it is unfortunate that he titled his book oriental despotism because that too often leads to readers hasty and erroneous conclusion that a wittfogel believed that only the orient or governments east of west europe were dictatorial. More recently, discussions over the concept of oriental despotism have been devoted to pejorative images of the orient associated with the concept of despotism. In this case the articles that marx and engels wrote on china during the 1850s have been rescued from obscurity. Abstractthis paper explores water commons and its governance in china. The author himself tells us page 8 that the name which he originally intended for the book was oriental society. A stronger oriental despotism communist china is not an asiatic hydraulic society. Karl august wittfogel wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia. A comparative study of total power by wittfogel, karl a. Oct 01, 2007 that same year, renegade marxist karl wittfogel released his hefty, painstaking, somewhat boring, ultimately profound and alarming magnum opus oriental despotism, a work encapsulating the historical development of all the rest of the world, the nonwestern civilizations everywhere else. Inflecting the older notion of oriental despotism in this way, wittfogel deployed his model of an exploitative but historically fettered state, which he referred to as the hydraulic sponge, to explain the fate of a wide range of social formations including ancient egypt and mesopotamia, hellenistic greece and imperial rome, the abbassid. The concept of oriental despotism allowed earlymodern europeans to distinguish themselves from the most powerful and impressive noneuropean civilizations of the ottoman middle east, persia, india, and china on grounds which were neither fundamentally religious nor linked to sheer scientific and.
Apr 14, 2016 awhile ago, i asked the question of why is the west strong. The idea of oriental despotism has an old and diversified history in european culture. The concept of oriental despotism from aristotle to marx. Referring to the oriental society as a hydraulic society, he has tried to introduce his. Wittfogel karl article about wittfogel karl by the free. Montesquieu offered a penetrating discussion of the problems of modern political regimes. Oriental languages, literature and ideas, history and institutions. Sell on amazon see all 2 images oriental despotism. Oriental despotism, a comparative study of total power. The concept of oriental despotism has shaped the european interpretation and representation of asiatic governments and societies for many centuries. Starting from a marxist analysis of the ideas of max weber on china and indias hydraulicbureaucratic officialstate and building on marxs sceptical view of the asiatic mode of production, wittfogel came up with an analysis of oriental despotism which. Wittfogel and marx on china volume 16 maurice meisner.
The book examines the origins of complex societies and states. After all, he draws from the history of asia and the middle east to depict despots of large empires, those contemptible figures who, although enthralled by private pleasures, absorb all the powers in the state. A comparative study of total power, first published in 1957. Civilizations whose agriculture was dependent upon largescale waterworks for irrigation and flood control were called hydraulic civilizations by the germanamerican historian karl a. From 1925 until 1933 wittfogel worked at the institute for social research at frankfurt see frankfurt school of critical theory. I gave the standard modernization theory answer, which you can click here to watch that. Neither oriental despotism nor fragmented hydraulic state accurately describes.
Oriental despotism the problem with modernization theory. Full text of karl august wittfogel oriental despotism see other formats. Wittfogel advanced the term in his book oriental despotism 1957. In a crisis situation, any theoretical vacuum, like a power vacuum, invites disaster.
Starting from a marxist analysis of the ideas of max weber on china and indias hydraulicbureaucratic officialstate and building on marxs sceptical view of the asiatic mode of production, wittfogel came up with an analysis of oriental despotism which emphasized the role of irrigation works, the bureaucratic structures needed to maintain them and the impact that these. Wittfogel s anticommunism led in oriental despotism to extend the hydraulic hypothesis to russia, where it. Wittfogel periodic gatherings of orientalists are fully meaningful only when they serve as forums for the discussion of important developments in the major fields of their professional concern. Register of the karl august wittfogel papers 66033 1 register of the karl august wittfogel papers finding aid prepared by linda bernard and katherine reynolds. A comparative study of total power is a book of political theory and comparative history by karl august wittfogel 18961988 published by yale university press in 1957. Wittfogel is best known for his monumental work oriental despotism. Wittfogel was a german sociologist, historian and sinologist. View oriental despotism research papers on academia. The rhetoric of choice and the arrival of bureaucratic. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. He adds that this sort of hired men known today as the shabbiha increase and decrease in number according to the harshness or lightness of despotism. Starting from a marxist analysis of the ideas of max weber on china and indias hydraulicbureaucratic officialstate and building on marxs sceptical view of the asiatic mode of production, wittfogel came up with an analysis of oriental despotism which emphasized. The book also criticizes the misconception that the orient was the constant victim of western imperialism and the view that westerners cannot comment objectively on eastern and. For one thing, though one can find examples of active despotism such as egypt, one can also find many passive oriental despotisms, which have the full despotic apparatus enumerated by wittfogel army, prisons and executioners, absolute and capricious power, eunuchs, spies, centralized administration, etc.
His was a wild, heady life, one that was always in the thick of momentous issues. Results and problems of the study of oriental despotism 1969. Full text of karl august wittfogel oriental despotism. China and the writing of world history in the west pdf. A comparative study of total power is a book of political theory and. Through an historical analysis of the theme of oriental despotism, michael curtis reveals the complex positive and negative interaction between europe and the orient. The difference between tyranny and despotism a knowledge. Most people view him as a figure merely of historical interest. In the words classical sense, it refers to a state where an individual, who is called a despot, exercises complete power and authority and the rest of the people are regarded as slaves. Chapter 2, for example, examines the place of the ottoman empire within the nascent system of international law, by means of an insightful discussion of oriental despotism as a new analytical tool used to mark the boundaries of the presumably universal law of nations. Today it is hard to find any treatise on ancient hydraulic society that does invoke wittfogel s ideas. The basis of despotism oriental despotism a comparative study of total power by karl a wittfogel.
A comparative study of total power wittfogel, karl on. Results and problems of the study of oriental despotism. Karl august wittfogel 6 september 1896, in woltersdorf, germany 25 may 1988, in new york, united states was a germanamerican playwright, historian, and sinologist. That he changed it to oriental despotism, with all that that implies, may be considered by later ages as one of the most unfortunate intellectual casualties in the cold war. Communist and noncommunist agrarian systems, with special reference to the u. Historically, the terms meaning has varied and today it is hardly ever used at all, largely because of all the issues surrounding the concept of orientalism. Tyranny and despotism are words that have been given different definitions by a few scholars. The book offers an explanation for the despotic governments in oriental societies, where control of water was necessary for irrigation and floodcontrol. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. A comparative study of total power by wittfogel, karl august isbn.
Although montesquieu in the eighteenth century was regarded as a great thinker, he does not figure much today in discussions of political theory. The issue of how european images of the east were formed, used, and contested is far from simple. Sep 02, 2009 in his book soft despotism, democracys drift, paul rahe argues that tocqueville can help us understand both what pushes democracy toward despotism and what remedies can keep democracy from. Kolloquien dfg kollegforschungsgruppe 2615 rethinking. Karl august wittfogel wittfogel was born in 1896 in the hanoverian village of woltersdorg, germany. Wittfogel and marx on china by maurice meisner despite his claim to have advanced beyond marxism and arrived at an entirely new conception of the nature of traditional nonwestern societies. Jan 17, 2018 montesquieus overt depiction of despotism would seem to undermine the claim that europe harbours despotism.
Confirmatory factor analysis of the geriatric depression scale. A comparative study of total power, first published in starting from. Karl august wittfogel was born 6 september 1896 at woltersdorf, in luchow, province of hanover. Register of the karl august wittfogel papers, 17281992 66033 6 tape cabinet videotape cassette, 1982. Karl august wittfogel wittfogel, karl august 18961988. It was a conceptual model in different interacting cultural contexts, it assumed various functions and meanings, and it waned with the decline of the eurocentric preconception on which it was deeply grounded ever since its origins in greek thought. Wittfogel, any culture having an agricultural system that is dependent upon largescale governmentmanaged waterworksproductive for irrigation and protective for flood control. Rahe shows that the modern view is seriously mistaken. Philip booth universitat oxford zum thema oriental despotism, environmental history, and the early islamic caliphate. Nov 12, 2014 oriental despotism, i would submit, is a politically incorrect phrase that captures one aspect of our world, but an aspect that may be receding. He believed that such civilizationsalthough neither all in the. He found examples of largescale systematic organization of work, the emergence of social classes, and widespread specialization. Wittfogel karl 18961988 germanborn comparative sociologist best known for his work on chinese society and for his controversial book oriental despotism 1957 see oriental despotism. In a world of postmodern electronic communications, dictators simply cannot rule in the totalizing manner of ancient and modern tyrants.
Despotism article about despotism by the free dictionary. Metaanalysis of the factor structures of four depression questionnaires. Oriental despotism, by karl wittfogel commentary magazine. Linton the focus of this paper is to analyze sinologist karl august wittfogel s transformation. Sep 19, 2017 despotism refers to an absolute political power that is vested in a single authority, which can be a person or a tightly knit group. This structure was uniquely placed to also crush civil society and any other force capable of mobilizing against the state. The famous philosopher, hannah arendt, defined tyranny as the exercise of absolute power by an unjust ruler. Professor wittfogel is convinced that we ought to give an answer to the communists as complete, allembracing, and certain as their own, on the problems of oriental society and despotism in general. Validazione della ehersema italiana del corumination questionnaire. Karl august wittfogel was a germanamerican playwright, historian, and sinologist. Oriental despotism article about oriental despotism by the. Karl august wittfogel project gutenberg selfpublishing.
A comparative study of total power karl wittfogel on. Scope and content note recording of lecture by wittfogel on oriental despotism given in germany map case oversize materials, 1919. Oriental despotism is a term used to describe a despotic form of government that opposes the western tradition. Wittfogels theory of oriental society or hydraulic society and the.
Wittfogel, karl august article about wittfogel, karl. Wittfogel developed this thesis in relation not only to china but also to the wider marxist arguments about the asian mode of production. The fundamental connection of despotism with religion was a central element of nicolasantoine boulangers 17221759 recherches sur lorigine du despotisme oriental as well, in which theocracy was established as the essential basis of despotism. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Wittfogel has discussed how sources and supply of water for irrigation were the basis of asiatic mode of production, which eventually led to despotic empires and bureaucracy.
In his seminal book oriental despotism 1957, historian and political scientist karl wittfogel presented a general theory of the development of ancient civilizations. Ulmen, the science of society, towards an understanding of the life and work of karl august wittfogel, mouton, the hague, 1978. Wittfogel in his book oriental despotism 1957 wittfogel believed that such hydraulic civilizations although neither all in the orient nor characteristic of all oriental societies were quite. Oriental despotism, to some extent, is a successful effort by the author. View karl august wittfogel research papers on academia. The concept of oriental despotism has shaped the european interpretation and representation of asiatic governments and societies for many. Chinese society of chou dynasty times is taken to be a hydraulic society, and. Comparative analysis reveals basic similarities as well as important dissimilarities between communist totalitarianism and the. In 1918 he joined the independent socialists uspd and from 1920 he was an active member of the german communist party kpd. Such a state would inevitably be despotic, powerful, stable and wealthy. He studied philosophy, history, sociology, geography at leipzig university and also in munich, berlin and rostock and in 1919 again in berlin. The first general theory advanced to explain the development of ancient civilizations with systematic organization of work on a large scale, the emergence of social classes, and widespread specialization was elaborated in the united states by the historian and political scientist karl wittfogel in his seminal book oriental despotism 1957. From 1925 to 1933 he was a member of the marxist institute for social research at frankfurt am main, the frankfurt school.
Originally a marxist and an active member of the communist party of germany, after the second world war wittfogel. Jan, 2016 the difference between tyranny and despotism. History of the organization of work communal organization. The concept of oriental despotism allowed earlymodern europeans to distinguish themselves from the most powerful and impressive noneuropean civilizations of the ottoman middle east, persia. Karl august wittfogels american acculturation and the cold war, 19341963 a thesis presented to the department of history graduate school of arts and sciences brandeis university waltham, massachusetts by matthew d.
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