Early China Series: Master, State and Patron
From The Observatory
Date
October 17, 2025
Location
Faculty House, Columbia University
Area
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“Master, State and Patron: Three Models of Literati Engagement During the Warring States Period (481 B.C.E.-221 B.C.E.)”
Among the many contests evinced by the written record of the Warring States Period, one has received relatively little attention among modern scholars: the debate over the normative social forms that should structure literati’s life and work. In this essay I will unpack three different models of literati engagement that were advocated in early sources. These models were in tension with one another and were variously advocated for by groups competing for the allegiance of literati throughout the Zhou domain. The most familiar model was that of “Master and disciples,” first promoted by the fellowship that formed around the figure of Confucius (551 B.C.E.-479 B.C.E.). Much scholarship assumes that this was the norm governing all literati activity during the Warring States, but such was not the case.Key Speaker: Andrew Meyer
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