Prof. Aoki Atsushi, Osaka University

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AOKI ATSUSHI

Associate Professor

Name
Aoki(Family name) Atsushi(Given name), male
Affiliation
Associate Professor, Oriental History Dept., Faculty of Letters, Osaka University
Research Topics
Socio-economic history of Kiangnan in the tenth to thirteenth centuries
Teachings
Chinese history, Taiwanese politics

Contact
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Mailing address :


  Prof. Aoki Atsushi
  Toyoshi, Bungakubu,
  Osaka University,
  Machikaneyamacho 1-5, Toyonaka,
  Osaka 560-8532, Japan

Works(in Japanese Shift-JIS)
Oriental History Links(in Japanese Shift-JIS)
Vitae: Born in 1964. BA, MR, from University of Tokyo. Research assistant at Institute of Oriental History, University of Tokyo. Associate Professor at Faculty of Letters, Okayama University. Associate Professor at Faculty of Letters, Osaka University. Ph.D, University of Tokyo.

My research topics are concentrated on the Sung Dynasty's socio-economical position in Eurasian history in "medieval" times, by which not a few scholars mean the eighth century and after. Though periodization by ancient, medieval and modern does matters less in East, South, and Southeast Asia than in Europe and Japan, more scholars now think early modern began in late Ming when global history came in, therefore Sung should be classified as "medieval". After graduated Tokyo University Toyo-shi, I continued to study three aspects of the Chinese empire in this period: (1) local administration facilities, (2) economics, specially regarding changes in resource endowments, (3) legal culture of Sung. The title of my dissertation for Ph.D was "The Sung and Kiangnan Society", that consists of 14 chapters divided into three parts. I argued as follows:
Tang-Sung transition, or Sung-Yuan-Ming transition as well, are not so useful when considered what dynasty and state means. At least in the tenth to thirteenth centuries, there existed Sung (Song), Western Hsia (Xi- xia), Jurchen-Chin (Jin), Khitan-Liao (Liao), Western Uighr, Tibet, and lots of others in the eastern part of Eurasia. Even inside the area that Sung government claimed to rule, there were numerous other counter polities which did never subjected to the Sung. Sung itself were under Chin. However, Sung is the best specimen to study, because it left far more materials than others. Therefore, of course, Sung should not be considered as a stage of the history of a state named China. And Sung institutions were not Sung genuine, but it was inherited from Chou. Then Sung is better to be considered as a power among others in East Eurasia, and its unique aspects in coparison with other contemporary powers and Chinese powers in other era, like Han, Tang and Ming, are to be explored in world history context. Yes, Sung had lots of very unique institutions. Sung civil laws were incredibly sophisticated, just like Mouslim, Roman and Japanese ancient and medieval laws. On top of this, anomally in Chinese history, judgement in the Sung was based on laws, not on ethics or emotions. The reason of this Sung anomaly should be understood in a context of its institutional roots in Toba empires and migrations. For further details read my works, though there are in Japanese.