The Design Work of Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby by Edward Barber

The Design Work of Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby by Edward Barber

This study of the policy-making process in China during the Sino-French controversy of 1880-1885 adds a new dimension to our understanding of China's response to the West in the nineteenth century. The implicit threat presented by French efforts to extend her control into northern Vietnam was the catalyst in Chinese policy decisions, and Lloyd Eastman traces the dramatic process by which the problem was eventually resolved. Analyzing the complicated balance of internal political forces in the Ch'ing dynasty in the late nineteenth century, he makes the first thorough study of the factors which shaped Chinese foreign policy in this period.

Three major power groups affected the decision-making process: the throne, high administrative officials, and lesser officials whose role was largely ideological. Eastman shows the considerable extent to which the throne's power was limited by the interests of the officials (or mandarins); discusses the role of ch'ing-i, or literati opinion; and emphasizes the importance of the conservative, low-ranking officials who stood overwhelmingly in opposition to the few proponents of reform and modernization and strongly influenced the course of Chinese policy. Discussing the diplomatic objectives involved--preservation of hegemony in Vietnam, reluctance to fight a war that might expose its military weakness, desire to save face--as manifestations of underlying cultural assumptions and values, Eastman offers a fresh perspective on the formulation of policy during the Ch'ing government's confrontation with the Western powers.

Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby are the directors of BarberOsgerby, based in London. Zoe Ryan is curator for design at the Art Institute of Chicago. Deyan Sudjic is the director of the Design Museum in London.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780847835409
ISBN 10	0847835405
Title	The Design Work of Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby
Author	Edward Barber
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Rizzoli International Publications
Year published	2011-07-08
Number of pages	240
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.