Janus: Papers of Joseph Needham as a historian of Chinese science, technology and medicine

Needham/NRI2/SCC2 contains:
<-- See earlier
340	Exhibition on Chinese Medicine held at Wellcome Historical Medical Museum, 1966
341	Documents relating to Joseph Needham's article 'The Roles of Europe and China in the Evolution of Oecumenical Science', ('Journal of Asian History', 1967)
342	Literary reverberations of and attitudes to modern science; and Renaissance matters in general
343	'Synthetic Survey of the Characteristics of Chinese Science'
344	'Philosophies of History - 'Spengler File' etc.'
345	Economic and Social History - Comparative studies: Feudalism, Bureaucratism and Capitalism
346	Documents relating to a weekend of lectures given by Joseph Needham at Braziers Park, School of Integrative Social Research Conference, Ipsden, Oxfordshire , 1951, on 'Science and Scientific Thought in Chinese Civilisation'
347	'Science and Society in East and West' , Joseph Needham's contribution to a Festschrift for J. D. Bernal
348	Material relating to projected Joseph Needham talk for a BBC radio programme entitled 'A Century of 'Das Kapital'' in which he was to speak on how the Marxist theory of 'historical materialism' affected his work
349	Symposium entitled 'The Evolutionist Interpretation of Culture', arranged by the Werner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, 1965
350	Economic and Social History 1
See later -->

Papers of Joseph Needham as a historian of Chinese science, technology and medicine

Title	Economic and Social History - Comparative studies: Feudalism, Bureaucratism and Capitalism
Reference	SCC2/345
Covering Dates	7 June 1943–23 Feb. 1991
Extent and Medium	Paper

Needham/NRI2/SCC2/345 contains:

Typed 'Details of the papers for the proposed Social and Political Science Tripos..' at the University of Cambridge. The list has bibliographies for social anthropology, social pscychology, political science, industrial sociology, sociology of the family etc.
9 sheets; Paper.

Mar. 1967

Letter from Bryan Anstey, Chartered Surveyor of London, about his work on land tenure, and related documents. The related documents comprise Anstey's 'Notes arising from Cheltenham Conference on World Resources in relation to the Family', including a description of five stages in the land tenure cycle; notes on the system of land tenure in Borneo headed 'Notes arising from a conversation with Major F Devereux Colebourn, District Officer of a North Borneo Administrative Area'.
Creator: Anstey, Bryan.
8 sheets; Paper.

Sep. 1948–8 Oct. 1948

Copy of a review by Donald G. Macrae of W. G. Runciman, 'Social Science and Political Theory', (Cambridge University Press, 1963). The review was published in 'Man'.
1 document; Paper.

Sep. 1965

Article entitled 'Mystification in the 'Scientific' Foundations of Sociology'. It is unclear who wrote the article. It was printed in the 'CSSRS Bulletin' [?].
2 sheets; Paper.

June 1971

Joseph Needham's notes from a 'Discussion at CYYDjY Soc Sci. Inst. Lichuang. June 7th 1943' on the reasons for the breakdown of the feudal system. Joseph Needham notes T'ao Meng-Ho [??? / Tao Menghe] in the chair'.
2 sheets; Paper.

7 June 1943

Copy of a letter from Joseph Needham to Prof. V. Gordon Childe of the Institute of Archaeology, University of London, enquiring about feudalism in Europe before the Roman conquest, and related documents. The related documents comprise Childe's reply; Needham's notes from a related discussion at 'DINNER WITH JANSE'; other notes.
Creator: Needham, Joseph; Childe, V. Gordon.
5 sheets; Paper.

20 Feb. 1947

Copy of a 'Nature' review by E. R. Leach of Bronislaw Malinowski, 'Freedom and Civilisation', (London, 1947).
1 document; Paper.

27 Mar. 1948

Letter from Prof. Sylvia L. Thrupp of the Department of History, University of Michigan, U.S.A., inviting Joseph Needham to participate in a 'Conference on Cultural Innovation', and related documents. The related documents comprise typed 'Proposals' for the Conference; reprint of an article by Thrupp entitled 'Comparative Studies in Society and History: a working alliance among specialists', ('International Social Science Journal', 1965); copy of Needham's reply.
Creator: Thrupp, Sylvia L.; Needham, Joseph.
11 sheets; Paper.

1965–17 Mar. 1966

Letter from Prof. Arnold Thackray of the University of Pennsylvania, U.S.A., about a proposed conference on the theme of comparative historical studies in the institutionalization of science', and related documents. Thackray enquires whether the conference might be held Cambridge. The related documents comprise a letter from Richard [?], Domestic Bursar of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, about the possibility of having the conference at the College; copy of Joseph Needham's reply to Thackray.
Creator: Thackray, Arnold; Needham, Joseph.
5 sheets; Paper.

23 Nov. 1970–14 Dec. 1970

Letter from Robin Jardine of London, accompanying notes relating to the relationship between specific social conditions and the development of science. Jardine's notes arise from the question on page 582 of 'Science and Civilisation in China, Volume II', 'Was the state of mind in which an egg-laying cock could be prosecuted at law necessary in a culture which should later have the property of producing a Kepler?'.
Creator: Jardine, Robin.
5 sheets; Paper.

6 Jan. 1973

Correspondence with Dr. Georgio Nebbia of the Universita Degli Studi, Bari, Italy, about his research on the history of trade products and their control. The letters make special reference to China. The correspondence comprises 3 letters from Nebbia; copy of 1 letter from Joseph Needham.
Creator: Nebbia, Georgio; Needham, Joseph.
4 sheets; Paper.

19 July 1962–16 Nov. 1963

Letter from Robin Jardine of London, about the reasons for capitalism not developing in China.
Creator: Jardine, Robin.
2 sheets; Paper.

1 Feb. 1960

Joseph Needham's notes from a dicussion with Germaine Greer of Newnham College, Cambridge, about views on marriage amongst the clergy and other matters.
1 document; Paper.

8 May 1965

Correspondence with Derk Bodde of of Philadeplhia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., about social relations of science and technology in China. The correspondence comprises parts of 2 letters from Bodde; copy of 1 letter from Joseph Needham. Specific matters discussed include feudalism in China; the term 'bureaucratic feudalism'; translation of Feng Yu-Lan's 'History'; Needham's paper 'Social Relations of Science and Technology in China'.
Creator: Bodde, Derk; Needham, Joseph.
4 sheets; Paper.

16 Feb. 1952–16 Mar. 1952

Joseph Needham's typed notes on an article by Wu Ta-Khun [??? / Wu Dakun] entitled 'The Political Economy of China; a tentative Study', ('Past and Present'). Needham notes that this was 'lent me by S. Adler, 20th. Nov. 1951'.
6 sheets; Paper.

20 Nov. 1951

Joseph Needham's typed notes on R. H. Tawney, 'Land and Labour in China', (London, 1932).
2 sheets; Paper.

1950–1959

Leaflet advertising Norman Jacobs, 'The Origin of Modern Capitalism and Eastern Asia', (Hong Kong University Press, 1957).
1 document; Paper.

1957

Letter from Peter Mayer of Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, about Helmut Wilhelm's 'Gesselschaft und Staat in China', (Peking, 1944).
Creator: Mayer, Peter.
1 document; Paper.

8 Dec. 1964

Copy of a 'New Statesman' review article by John H. Goldthorpe entitled 'Founding Father' about Max Weber. The article reviews Weber's 'The City' and Richard Bendix', 'Max Weber: an Intellectual Portrait'.
1 document; Paper.

31 Dec. 1960

Correspondence with Prof. Stuart Schram of the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, about a proposed series of seminars on the theme of 'The State in East Asia: Concepts and Institutions'. The correspondence comprises a circular letter from Schram explaining the scope of the proposed series; 6 letters from Schram to Needham; copy of 1 letter from Needham to Schram; 2 further circular letters from Schram. Joseph Needham contributed a lecture on 'Science in the feudal-bureaucratic state'.
Creator: Schram, Stuart; Needham, Joseph.
15 sheets; Paper.

13 Oct. 1976–17 Nov. 1977

Copy of a 'New Statesman' review by Mark Elvin of John Critchley, 'Feudalism'.
1 document; Paper.

3 Mar. 1978

Letter from Guiseppe Chiarante of 'Critica Marxista', inviting Joseph Needham to contribute to a special issue on the relations between Marxism and the natural sciences. The related documents comprise a copy of Needham's letter of reply; list of proposed contents of the issue.
Creator: Chiarante, Guiseppe; Needham, Joseph.
4 sheets; Paper.

25 July 1978–8 Aug. 1978

Correspondence with Stuart Schram of the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, about a research project, 'The State in China: Concepts and Realities', and related documents. The correspondence comprises 3 letters from Schram; copy of 1 letter from Joseph Needham.The letters also discusss the search for a suitable translator to work on selected chapters of the 'Huangchao Jingshi Wenbian' as part of the project and to be paid for by a grant from the European Science Foundation. The related documents comprise typed information on a proposed seminar as part of the project entitled 'The State and the Economy'; curriculum vitae for Ray Huang [??? / Huang Jen-Yu / Huang Renyu]; letter from Sandra C. Pratt of the European Science Foundation, about their decision to offer Huang the Leverhulme Fellowship in Chinese Studies.
Creator: Schram, Stuart; Needham, Joseph; Pratt, Sandra C.; Huang, Ray.
14 sheets; Paper.

15 May 1980–24 July 1980

Letter from Jay Weinstein of 'Studies in Comparative International Development', inviting Joseph Needham to review books. The books are Kenneth G. Lieberthal, 'Revolution and Tradition in Tientsin, 1949-1952', (Stanford University Pres, 1980); Godwin C. Chu and Francis L. K. Hsu (Eds.), 'Moving a Mountain: Cultural Change in China', (The Univeristy Press of Hawaii, 1979); Chi-ming Hou and Tzong-chian Yu (Eds.), 'Modern Chinese Economic History: Proceedings of the Conference on Modern Chinese Economic History', (University of Washington Press, 1980). The documents include copies of summaries of the books.
Creator: Weinstein, Jay.
4 sheets; Paper.

15 May 1980

Advertisement for the Chinese journal 'Study and Exploration'. The journal is sponsored by the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences and the Heilongjiang Provinical Federation of Philosophy and Social Sciences'.
1 document; Paper.

Oct. 1982

Programme for a conference on Karl Marx held in Rome, Italy, November 1983. Joseph Needham has made notes on the programme and indicates that Gregory Blue attended.
1 document; Paper.

1983

Letter from Stephen Feldman of Asian Rare Books Inc., New York City, U.S.A., originally accompanying an order of books and passing on regards from Karl Wittfogel.
Creator: Feldman, Stephem.
1 document; Paper.

7 Mar. 1986

Postcard from Saeed Durrani of the Department of Physics, University of Birmingham, advising of a forthcoming visit to Japan to look at methods adopted in Meiji times for making scientific/technological breakthroughs.
Creator: Durrani, Saeed.
1 document; Paper.

30 Dec. 1986

Letter from Prof. Rik Pinxten of the University Seminarie voor Anthropologie, Ghent, Belgium, about his programme of research based around the sociology and anthropology of knowledge, and related documents. The related documents comprise a copy of the proposal; copy of Joseph Needham's reply.
Creator: Pinxten, Rik; Needham, Joseph.
15 sheets; Paper.

3 Dec. 1986–10 Feb. 1986

Letter from Dr. John Ronsvalle of the Oriental Languages Department, Peking University, requesting further information on Joseph Needham's statement that 'the rise of modern science in Europe was closely related to its social and economic structure'. The documents also include a cutting of a 'China Daily' article by Yang Xiaoping entitled 'Needham Papers Published'; copy of Joseph Needham's reply.
Creator: Ronsvalle, John; Needham, Joseph.
4 sheets; Paper.

27 Nov. 1986–10 Feb. 1986

Letter from Dr. Hokkyo Noboru of the Energy Research Laboratory, Hitachi Ltd., Hitachi, Japan, looking forward to Joseph Needham's attendance at a workshop in Osaka on 'Structuralism in Biology'. The documents also include a copy of a published letter from Hokkyo to the editor of 'Nature', about the relationship between the writings of Imanishi Kinji to the character of Japanese society and its scientific community; photocopy of a letter from K. R. Potter of the London School of Economics to Hokkyo, commenting on his published letter and another paper.
Creator: Hokkyo Noboru.
4 sheets; Paper.

3 Sep. 1986–10 Feb. 1987

Envelope containing documents relating to the study of patent law by Hans Mock, of Marks and Clerk Patent Agents of Manchester. The documents comprise a letter from Mock about the 'Chinese Inventions book, with particular reference to the possibility that the absence of a patent system may have stultified the natural inventiveness of the Chinese people'; letter from Tai E. International Patent and Law Office, Taipei, Taiwan, to Mock, about the history of patents in China; photocopy of an article by Wan Yaoting entitled 'A Message on the Commencement of the Publication of China Patents & Trademarks' and an article by Ren Jianxin entitled 'Getting Ready for the Enforcement of Patent Law of the PRC and Promoting Economic, Trade, Scientific and Technological Exchanges with Foreign Countries'; photocopied pages from Neil Davenport, 'The United Kingdom Patent System'; publicity material for Marks and Clerk, including newsletters and booklets explaining their work; booklet entitled 'The Patent Office: An Introduction to the Services of the Patent Office and Trade Marks and Designs Registries'.
Creator: Mock, Hans.
42 pieces; Paper.

8 Dec. 1986–16 Dec. 1986

Copy of a British Academy Research Grant application for Dr. Peter Hugh Nolan of Jesus College, Cambridge, to undertake a translation with Charles Curwen of Xu Dixin and Wu Chengming (Eds.), 'China's Capitalist Sprouts', (Beijing, 1985). The documents also include a copy of Joseph Needham's statement in support of the proposal.
Creator: Nolan, Peter Hugh; Needham, Joseph.
10 sheets; Paper.

20 Apr. 1988

Correspondence with Prof. J. Fang Editor of 'Philosphia Mathematica', an 'International Journal for Philosophy of Modern Mathematics', about his paper on formal logic and 'mathesis universalis' which grew up in ancient Greece alone. The correspondence comprises 2 letters from Fang; copy of 1 letter from Joseph Needham.
Creator: Fang, J.; Needham, Joseph.
6 sheets; Paper.

18 July 1988–1 Sep. 1988

Newsletter of the Karl Polanyi Institute of Political Economy', Montréal, Quebec, Canada. The documents also include an invitation to a lecture by Prof. Abraham Rotstein on 'Recurrent Dilemas in Canadian History', arranged by the Institute.
2 pieces; Paper.

Sep. 1988

Letter from David Goldway, Editor of 'Science and Society', New York City, U.S.A., inviting Joseph Needham to write a few lines for a brochure about the journal, and copy of Needham's reply.
Creator: Goldway, David; Needham, Joseph.
3 sheets; Paper.

26 Oct. 1988–21 Nov. 1988

Note from L E [?] of Cambridge, accompanying a photocopy of a poem by Christina Rossetti, entitled 'The Chinaman'. The poem was written when Rosetti was 11 years old.
2 sheets; Paper.

23 Feb. 1991

Notes.
50 sheets; Paper.

1945–1979

Joseph Needham's original file title.
1 document; Paper.

1960–1969