Convict Politics: From Utopia to Serfdom in Early China (221 BCE – 23 CE) - Image 1

£96.03

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£96 today · all-time low £95 (Jul 2026) · usually the usual

Cambridge University Press Convict Politics: From Utopia to Serfdom in Early China (221 BCE – 23 CE)

Name: Convict Politics: From Utopia to Serfdom in Early China (221 BCE - 23 CE)
Brand: Cambridge University Press
Price: 96.03 GBP
Availability: InStock

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In this innovative history, Liang Cai examines newly excavated manuscripts alongside traditional sources to explore convict politics in the early Chinese empires, proposing a new framework for understanding Confucian discussions of law and legal practice. While a substantial number of convict laborers helped operate the local bureaucratic apparatus in early China, the central court re-employed numerous previously convicted men as high officials. She argues that convict politics emerged, because, while the system often criminalized individuals, including the innocent, it was simultaneously juxtaposed with redemption policies and frequent amnesties in pursuit of a crime-free utopia. This dual system paralyzed the justice system, provoking intense Confucian criticism and resulting in a deep-seated skepticism toward law in the Chinese tradition, with a long-lasting political legacy.

Product Specifications

Brand: Cambridge University Press
Format: hardcover
ASIN: 1316515303
Category: Books > Subjects > Business, Finance & Law > Law
Domain: Amazon UK
Release Date: 29 January 2026
Listed Since: 06 June 2025

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About as cheap as it gets — within 5% of the all-time low it hit 3 months ago.

Cambridge University Press Convict Politics: From Utopia to Serfdom in Early China (221 BCE – 23 CE)

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About as cheap as it gets — within 5% of the all-time low it hit 3 months ago.

Cambridge University Press Convict Politics: From Utopia to Serfdom in Early China (221 BCE – 23 CE)

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