By: Margot Dragos
On March 9, The Ethyle R. Wolfe Institute, Brooklyn College (BC) Historical Society, BC Department of History, and the Late Antique-Medieval-Early Modern Faculty Working Group (LAMEM), hosted an event celebrating the release of Professor Andrew Seth Meyer’s book “To Rule All Under Heaven: A History of Classical China, From Confucius to the First Emperor,” in Room 411 in the library. This is the first of three events in a series hosted by the Wolfe Institute to promote the publications of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) professors.
“To Rule All Under Heaven” is written by Professor Meyer and released on Feb. 5. This book is the first comprehensive history of China’s Warring States period in English.
The Warring States period (481 to 221 B.C.E.) was a time of intense conflict and political upheaval for the seven states of Qin, Chu, Zhao, Wei, Han, Yan, and Qi. Professor Meyer begins his book with a coup in the state of Qi, the first warring state, as well as the Battle of Thermopylae, which occurred at the beginning of the Second Persian War. The period ended with the Qin state conquering the other six, creating a unified realm.
“It’s 500 pages of incredible research, vivid characters and details, masterful storytelling,” said Professor Gaston Alonso, director of The Wolfe Institute, at the beginning of the event. “I find it totally engaging, eye-opening, and necessary.”
Professor Meyer teaches in BC’s History department. He teaches four electives on the history of China, as well as a colloquium focused on the Warring States.
The book is in part dedicated to BC students, whom Meyer says were crucial in his research. It is specifically dedicated to Gregory John Taylor, a BC graduate student who passed away in 2015 after a battle against a rare skin cancer. He introduced Professor Meyer to a literary agent and encouraged him to publish his work for a general audience.
“This book, as much as it’s a product of my work, it’s also a product of my career here at Brooklyn College,” said Professor Meyer in reference to the dedication.
During Professor Meyer’s remarks, he discussed the contents of his book and the Warring States period’s significance. It took him 16 years of extensive research to complete the book.
“The reason I wrote this book and the reason I felt it was worth persisting for 16 years to complete it was that this is a very important period in global history,” Professor Meyer told attendees. “It’s not just a matter of being important in the history of China. It’s really important to understand the history of the world.”
Professor Meyer first became interested in the Warring States period in college, when he was first exposed to the translated sources that aided his research. He wrote his book to fill a gap in learning for students studying his colloquium.
“There are lots of wonderful translations of Chinese texts that you can use in a colloquium like the one I offer,” Professor Meyer told The Vanguard. “But there’s no book that will give students the historical context in which they can understand what is going on in those sources.”
After Professor Meyer’s remarks, there was a Q&A session where attendees could have their questions about the Warring States period answered.
Attendees were also able to enter a $5 raffle for a copy of Professor Meyer’s book. The winner was Jaclyn Caruso, a BC student who attended the event as extra credit for her Introduction to Political Science course.
“We are currently working on modern Chinese history,” said Caruso, referring to the course. “I think looking back into the Warring States period gives us a really good insight.”
“I learned a lot. As someone who knows literally nothing about Chinese history, I heard a lot of words that I did not know, and now I do.”
Professor Meyer says most people think of the French Revolution or the American Revolution as the most important historical events to know about.
“I would say that the Warring States is just as important as those events in terms of the shaping influence it had on not just the history of China, but the rest of the world,” Professor Meyer told The Vanguard.
Attendees walked away with new knowledge of the Warring States period provided by the author himself.
“Meyer mentioned that we don’t have a lot of context for Chinese history, and I find that really interesting,” said Caruso. “I want to have that context. I’m glad this book can provide that.”
“To Rule All Under Heaven” can be purchased through Oxford University Press.
The second event in the Wolfe Institute’s New Books by HSS Faculty Series will be held on March 24 for Professor Christine Vitrano’s “The Pursuit of Success.”