Ritual Performance in Early Chinese Thought: A Dramaturgical Perspective

by Thomas Radice

Overview

Examining early Chinese ritual discourse during the Warring States and early Western Han Periods, this book reveals how performance became a fundamental feature of ritual and politics in early China. Through a dramaturgical lens, Thomas Radice explores the extent to which performer/spectator relationships influenced all aspects of early Chinese religious, ethical, and political discourse.

Arguing that the Confucians conceived ritual as primarily a dramaturgical matter, this book demonstrates not only that theatricality was necessary for expression and deception in a community of spectators, but also how a theatrical 'presence' ultimately became essential to all forms of public life in early China. Thomas Radice illuminates previously unexplored connections between early Chinese texts, aesthetics, and traditions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781350359000
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/28/2026
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Thomas Radice is Professor of Chinese History at Southern Connecticut State University, USA.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Kongzi as Dramaturg: Cultivating Performers and Spectators of Ritual Theatricality
2. (Not) Faking It: Antitheatricality and Spectatorship
3. Method Mourning: Embodying Art and Artifice in Confucian Dramaturgy
4. Power and/of Presence: Theatricality and Political Performance
Conclusion
Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

Proceeding from the perspectives of dramaturgy, theatricality, and spectatorship, Thomas Radice provides us with an insightful discussion to enrich our overall understanding of one of Confucianism's trickiest features, namely “ritual”” —Geir Sigurðsson, Professor of Chinese Studies, University of Iceland, Iceland

“In this thoughtful new book, Thomas Radice addresses the early Chinese debate over conceptualizing ritual as a kind of performance, including the complex view that performing rituals can help us discover, and productively channel, deep-seated emotions.” —Paul R. Goldin, Professor of East Asian Languages & Civilizations, University of Pennsylvania, USA

From the Publisher