| Description |
viii, 233 pages ; 24 cm |
| Contents |
Deception and truth -- Truth, lying, and deception; Blum's Maxims for China -- China present -- Tricks and traps : deception and cleverness -- For their own good : benevolent deception and flattery -- State secrets and fakes : the true, the real, the transparent, and the squelched -- Longing for honesty -- China past -- Crooked and straight : right action and strategy in pre-modern China -- A social theory of truth : language in revolutionary China -- Humanity and language -- Truth and deception across time and space -- Knowing how to play with words and minds -- Appendix : theories of language with regard to truth and deception -- Bibliography -- Index |
| Summary |
"This book explores the ideology of truth and deception in China, offering a nuanced perspective on social interaction in different cultural settings. Drawing on decades of fieldwork in China, Susan D. Blum offers an authoritative examination of rules, expectations, and beliefs regarding lying and honesty in society. Blum points to a propensity for deception in Chinese public interactions in situations where people in the United States would expect truthfulness, yet argues that lying is evaluated within Chinese society by moral standards different from those of Americans."--BOOK JACKET |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 197-218) and index |
| Subject |
Truthfulness and falsehood -- China.
|
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Social values -- China.
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| LC no. |
2006018473 |
| ISBN |
9780742554047 (cloth : alk. paper) |
|
074255404X (cloth : alk. paper) |
|
9780742554054 (paperback: alk. paper) |
|
0742554058 (paperback: alk. paper) |
|
