Dao: A Second Century BCE Conceptual Biography

Mark Csikszentmihàlyi, Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures, Eliaser Chair of International Studies; Director, Group in the Study of Religion, University of California at Berkeley

Recorded on October 10, 2023.

This talk looks at the different roles that the concept of Dao played in political and philosophical arguments, and epistemically across multiple discourses and genres in the 100's BCE. It centers on three key sources: the Changsha Mawangdui excavated texts (circa 168 BCE), the Huainan court texts sponsored by Liu An (179-122 BCE), and the Records of the Archivist (Shiji) produced by the Simas at the end of the century.

Dr. Csikszentmihàlyi is the Eliaser Chair of International Studies, Interim Chair of the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, and Director of the Group in the Study of Religion at University of California at Berkeley. He has a PhD in Asian Languages from Stanford University and an AB in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University. He uses both excavated and transmitted texts to reconstruct the religions, philosophies, and cultures of early China. His most recent book is "Technical Arts in the Han Histories: Tables and Treatises in the Shiji and Hanshu" (2021) and next year Reaktion Books will publish his “Confucius: A New Tradition.” He is also the editor of the journal "Early China."