2018/05/08 by Peter C. Perdue · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Archaeology #China #Chinese history and philosophy #Environmental ethics #Eurasian Exchange Networks #Geography #Geopolitics #Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis #History #Law #Philosophy #Political science #Politics #Steppe
paper · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199935369.013.26
openalex publication_date 2018/05/08 · openalex created_date 2022/05/12 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Abstract The American scholar, traveler, political adviser, and public intellectual Owen Lattimore strongly shaped American public opinion toward China and Central Eurasia in the twentieth century, but he also wrote major works on the geography and environment of the frontiers of Asia that still influence global historians today. His writings asserted the vital importance of China’s relationship with the nomads of the steppe, including the Mongols, for defining the boundaries, cultures, and geopolitical strategy of empires and nation states. He argued for sophisticated explanations of relationships between environmental forces like climate and human culture, and he analyzed China and Central Eurasia so as to provide new perspectives on world history. This article evaluates Lattimore’s contributions to world history in the light of his dynamic political and academic life.