China's 1911-12 Revolution, which overthrew a 2000-year succession of dynasties, is thought of primarily as a change in governmental style, from imperial to republican, traditional to modern. But given that the dynasty that was overthrown—the Qing—was that of a minority ethnic group that had ruled China's Han majority for nearly three centuries, and that the revolutionaries were overwhelmingly Han, to what extent was the revolution not only anti-monarchical, but also anti-Manchu? Edward Rhoads explores this provocative and complicated question in Manchus and Han, analyzing the evolution of the Manchus from a hereditary military caste (the "banner people") to a distinct ethnic group and then detailing the interplay and dialogue between the Manchu court and Han reformers that culminated in the dramatic changes of the early 20th century. Until now, many scholars have assumed that the Manchus had been assimilated into Han culture long before the 1911 Revolution and were no longer separate and distinguishable. But Rhoads demonstrates that in many ways Manchus remained an alien, privileged, and distinct group. Manchus and Han is a pathbreaking study that will forever change the way historians of China view the events leading to the fall of the Qing dynasty. Likewise, it will clarify for ethnologists the unique origin of the Manchus as an occupational caste and their shifting relationship with the Han, from border people to rulers to ruled.

推翻了中国两千多年王朝统治的辛亥革命，被认为是政体从帝制到共和，从传统到现代转变的关键。但是，由于被推翻的清朝为统治了大多数中国汉人近三百年的少数族群所建，而革命者绝大多数是汉人，那么在多大程度上，辛亥革命不仅仅是反帝，而且是反满呢？ 路康乐在《满与汉》中探索了这个尖锐而复杂的问题，分析了满族作为一个世袭军事特权阶层（“旗人”）向一个独立的族群的转变，也详细描述了清朝与汉族改革者之间的对话与互动，这一互动在清末民初的社会变革中达到了顶峰。 《满与汉》是一项具有开创意义的研究，将改变中国历史学者研究清亡原因的方式。同样，该研究也澄清了族群学者关于满族作为职业军事特权阶层的起源问题，分析了满汉关系的变化，以及满族从边疆“蛮族”到统治者，再到被统治者的历史发展。