Romain Graziani is a professor of Chinese studies at ENS de Lyon and a researcher at the East Asian Institute. He publishes "Les Lois et les Nombres" with Gallimard.
Les Lois et les Nombres
Essai sur les ressorts de la culture politique chinoise
Laws and Numbers - Essay on the springs of Chinese political culture
Romain Graziani
Éditions Gallimard
Collection Bibliothèque des Histoires
Through this essay, which is aimed at both experts and non-specialists of China, Romain Graziani, a professor of Chinese studies at ENS de Lyon and a scholar at the East Asian Institute (IAO), offers a concise and accessible summary of the results of his work on China.
Drawing on both classical and new sources – including mathematics, divination, spiritual practices, laws, Taoist narratives, and war techniques – Romain Graziani presents the ideas and concrete changes that could be linked to a particular form of Chinese thought.
While discussing the creation of a highly centralized state, he demonstrates that this model, based on laws and numbers, has significantly contributed to transforming Chinese society: the way of experiencing time, moving, perceiving power, working, or even perceiving oneself. He also explains how this logic allowed for the early envisioning of a society organized around information, surveillance, and security techniques.
Discover Romain Graziani in "C politique" on May 11th, 2025 (in French)