author
W. E. (William E.) Skinner
A pioneering anthropologist of China, he reshaped how scholars think about region, society, and everyday life across the Chinese world. His work on marketing systems, family structure, and social organization remains influential well beyond anthropology.
2 Audiobooks
How to conduct a small mail order business
by W. E. (William E.) Skinner
Mind reading : How to read people's thoughts
by W. E. (William E.) Skinner
About the author
Born in Oakland, California, in 1925, he became one of the most important American scholars of China in the 20th century. He was widely known in Chinese studies as G. William Skinner and also by his Chinese name, Shi Jianya. His research ranged from overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia to the structure of Chinese society and the role of geography in history.
Skinner taught at several major universities over the course of his career, including Cornell, Stanford, and the University of California, Davis. He was especially known for his influential ideas about regional systems and the way markets, settlements, and social life fit together across China. He also served as president of the Association for Asian Studies and received honorary recognition from the University of Hong Kong.
He died in 2008, but his scholarship continues to shape anthropology, history, sociology, and China studies. Readers interested in big, clear ways of understanding how communities are connected will find a great deal of his work still fresh and thought-provoking.