"As Agnew recounts the compelling stories of how the Kong family negotiated with the state and regional powers to maintain social hierarchies, he presents the ducal institution (1055–1935) as a remarkable case for the study of institutional history at both regional and state levels. This is perfect supplemental reading to Michael Szonyi’s Practicing Kinship for readers interested in Chinese lineages. . . . Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty."
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Choice
"Agnew’s book is impressive in its chronological and thematic scope, and he makes persuasive arguments about economic, political, and social factors thatshaped the history of the Kong ducal establishment."
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Journal of Chinese Studies
"Agnew’s reliable and well-written book provides a fresh glance at the role of Confucian traditions in situations of social turmoil in Late Imperial China. His matter-of-fact approach reveals the contradictions that in the past have characterized Confucianism and continue to do so."
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Religious Studies Review
"In providing us with The Kongs of Qufu, Agnew has afforded us with most thoroughgoing insight available to date on what is probably China’s most conspicuous saga in genealogical identity construction, offering us an extraordinarily detailed near-insider’s perspective on the self-perceived necessity of single lineage—over the course of generations—for distinguishing between “us” and “them.”"
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China Review International