John Mark Dutton Elvin (born 1938) is a
professor emeritus
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
of
Chinese history
The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the ''Book of Documents'' (early chapter ...
at
Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies an ...
, specializing in the late imperial period; he is also emeritus fellow of
St Antony's College, Oxford
St Antony's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1950 as the result of the gift of French merchant Sir Antonin Besse of Aden, St Antony's specialises in international relations, economi ...
.
Early life
Elvin, the only child of
Lionel Elvin
Herbert Lionel Elvin (7 August 1905 in Buckhurst Hill – 14 June 2005 in Cambridge) was an educationist.
Elvin was the son of Herbert Henry Elvin, General Secretary of the National Union of Clerks, and brother of George, who became General Se ...
and Mona Bedortha Dutton, grew up in Cambridge; attended
The Dragon School; and matriculated as an undergraduate at
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the cit ...
. He held posts at the
University of Glasgow
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Flag
, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
, ...
and at St, Antony's College, Oxford.
Career
He is noted for his
high-level equilibrium trap
The high-level equilibrium trap is a concept developed by environmental historian Mark Elvin to explain why China never underwent an indigenous Industrial Revolution despite its wealth, stability, and high level of scientific achievement. Essentia ...
theory to explain why an
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
happened in Europe but not in China, despite the fact that the state of scientific knowledge was far more advanced in China much earlier than in Europe. Essentially, Elvin proposed that pre-industrial production methods were extremely efficient in China, which obviated much of the economic pressure for scientific progress. At the same time, a philosophical shift occurred, where
Taoism
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Ta ...
was gradually replaced by
Confucianism
Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a Religious Confucianism, religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, ...
as the dominant intellectual paradigm, and moral philosophy and the development of rigid social organization became more important than scientific inquiry among intellectuals.
Works
;Monographs
*
The Pattern of the Chinese past: A social and economic interpretation' (1973)
*
Changing stories in the Chinese world' (1997)
*
The Retreat of the Elephants: An Environmental History of China' (2006)
;Other works
*
Commerce and Society in Sung China' (translation of
Yoshinobu Shiba
(born 20 October 1930) is a retired Japanese historian of China and professor emeritus of Osaka University, who specializes in Song dynasty history. A member of the Japan Academy, he has received the Order of Culture, Order of the Sacred Treasure, ...
)
*
Chinese Cities since the Sung Dynasty' (1978)
See also
*
Great Divergence
The Great Divergence or European miracle is the socioeconomic shift in which the Western world (i.e. Western Europe and the parts of the New World where its people became the dominant populations) overcame pre-modern growth constraints and eme ...
External links
Interviewed by Alan Macfarlane 24 July 2012 (video)Mark Elvin's home page
at ANU
at Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
1938 births
Living people
Australian National University faculty
Historians of China
Australian sinologists
Australian historians
Fellows of St Antony's College, Oxford
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