Confucianism for the Contemporary World

Description

Condemned during the Maoist era as a relic of feudalism, Confucianism enjoyed a robust revival in post-Mao China as China's economy began its rapid expansion and gradual integration into the global economy. Associated with economic development, individual growth, and social progress by its advocates, Confucianism became a potent force in shaping politics and society in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and overseas Chinese communities. This book links the contemporary Confucian revival to debates—both within and outside China—about global capitalism, East Asian modernity, political reforms, civil society, and human alienation. The contributors offer fresh insights on the contemporary Confucian revival as a broad cultural phenomenon, encompassing an interpretation of Confucian moral teaching; a theory of political action; a vision of social justice; and a perspective for a new global order, in addition to demonstrating that Confucianism is capable of addressing a wide range of social and political issues in the twenty-first century.
List of Illustrations

Preface
Kristin Stapleton

Introduction: Confucianism for the Contemporary World
Tze-ki Hon

Part I: Capitalism and the Global Order

1. Global Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics
Fang Keli’s New Confucian Research Project (1986-1995)
Tze-ki Hon

2. Confucianism, Community, Capitalism
Chen Lai and the Spirit of Max Weber
Els van Dongen

3. Realizing Tianxia
Traditional Values and China’s Foreign Policy
Daniel A. Bell

4. Confucianism to Save the World
Tongdong Bai

Part II: Political Plurality and Civil Society

5. Building Democracy
The Theory and Practice of Contemporary New Confucianism
Ming-huei Lee

6. Self-Restriction and Progressive Confucianism
Stephen C. Angle

7. Confucianism and Civil Society
The New Meanings of “Inner Sage” and “Outer King”
An-wu Lin

8. A Mission Impossible?
Mou Zongsan’s Attempt to Rebuild Morality in the Modern Age
Ke Sheng

9. The Challenge of Totalitarianism
Lessons from Tang Junyi’s Political Philosophy
Thomas Fröhlich

10. A Critique of Colonialism and Capitalism
Tang Junyi’s Views on Plurality and Openness
Hok Yin Chan

Part III: Social Responsibility and Social Action

11. Worshipping Ancestors in Modern China
Confucius and the Yellow Emperor as Icons of Chinese Identity
Marc Andre Matten

12. The Chinese Media's Campaign for Confucianism
Motivations, Implications, and Problems
Junhao Hong, Miao Liu, and Wen Huang

Epilogue
Beyond New Confucianism
Expanding the Contemporary Rudao
John H. Berthrong

Bibliography
Notes on Contributors
Index

Sujets

• Philosophie
• Éthique et morale
• Ethique et morale
• Confucianism

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 28 août 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781438466521
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 11 Mo

Extrait

CONFUCIANISM
for the Contemporary World
SUNY series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture

Roger T. Ames, editor
CONFUCIANISM
for the Contemporary World
Global Order, Political Plurality, and Social Action
Edited by
Tze-ki Hon and Kristin Stapleton
Cover Image: “Shanghai Skyline” © cuiphoto / iStockphoto.com
Published by State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2017 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.
For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY
www.sunypress.edu
Production, Dana Foote
Marketing, Fran Keneston
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Hon, Tze-ki, 1958– editor. | Beyond the New Confucianism: Confucian Thought for Twenty-first Century China (Conference) (2012 : Buffalo, New York)
Title: Confucianism for the contemporary world : global order, political plurality, and social action / edited by Tze-ki Hon and Kristin Stapleton.
Description: Albany, NY : State University of New York Press, 2017. | Series: SUNY series in Chinese philosophy and culture | “This volume originated in an April 2012 international conference sponsored by the UBCI: “Beyond the New Confucianism: Confucian Thought for Twenty-first Century China.” Tze-ki Hon and I organized the event. With the exception of one chapter, all of the essays in this volume were originally presented and discussed at the 2012 conference in Buffalo”—Preface. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016047191 (print) | LCCN 2016047800 (ebook) | ISBN 9781438466514 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781438466521 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Philosophy, Confucian—China. | Confucianism—China. | Confucianism—Economic aspects—China. | Confucianism—Political aspects—China. | Confucianism—Social aspects—China.
Classification: LCC B127.C65 C643 2017 (print) | LCC B127.C65 (ebook) | DDC 181/.112—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016047191
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
List of Illustrations
Preface
Kristin Stapleton
Introduction: Confucianism for the Contemporary World
Tze-ki Hon
P ART O NE : C APITALISM AND THE G LOBAL O RDER
1. Global Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics Fang Keli’s New Confucian Research Project (1986–1995)
Tze-ki Hon
2. Confucianism, Community, Capitalism Chen Lai and the Spirit of Max Weber
Els van Dongen
3. Realizing Tianxia Traditional Values and China’s Foreign Policy
Daniel A. Bell
4. Confucianism to Save the World
Tongdong Bai
P ART T WO : P OLITICAL P LURALITY AND C IVIL S OCIETY
5. Building Democracy The Theory and Practice of Contemporary New Confucianism
Ming-huei Lee
6. Self-Restriction and Progressive Confucianism
Stephen C. Angle
7. Confucianism and Civil Society The New Meanings of “Inner Sage” and “Outer King”
An-wu Lin
8. A Mission Impossible? Mou Zongsan’s Attempt to Rebuild Morality in the Modern Age
Ke Sheng
9. The Challenge of Totalitarianism Lessons from Tang Junyi’s Political Philosophy
Thomas Fröhlich
10. A Critique of Colonialism and Capitalism Tang Junyi’s Views on Plurality and Openness
Hok Yin Chan
P ART T HREE : S OCIAL R ESPONSIBILITY AND S OCIAL A CTION
11. Worshipping Ancestors in Modern China Confucius and the Yellow Emperor as Icons of Chinese Identity
Marc Andre Matten
12. The Chinese Media’s Campaign for Confucianism Motivations, Implications, and Problems
Junhao Hong, Miao Liu, and Wen Huang
Epilogue Beyond New Confucianism Expanding the Contemporary Rudao
John H. Berthrong
Bibliography
Notes on Contributors
Index
Illustrations Figure 11.1 Worship of Confucius at his tomb in March 2012. Figure 11.2 Statues of Confucius in Qufu at Confucius Research Institute, Qufu Normal University, and Lunyu Garden. Figure 11.3 Confucius sculpture in the Park of the Four Books (Sishuyuan 四書苑 ). Figure 12.1 Growth of Confucius Institutes (2004–2013). Figure 12.2 Geographic distribution of Confucius Institutes. Figure 12.3 Are you interested in learning about Chinese culture? Figure 12.4 How do you feel about Chinese culture? Figure 12.5 Why are you not interested in learning about Chinese culture? Figure 12.6 Where do you obtain your knowledge of Chinese culture? Figure 12.7 What is the most important element of China’s soft power?
Preface
K RISTIN S TAPLETON
C onfucian teachings have been reinterpreted, expanded, and reassessed continuously since the Sage himself walked the earth. The last twelve decades, however, have been a particularly fertile time for debate about their value and meaning. As a historian of Chinese cities and social life, I am by no means an expert on the intellectual aspects of the struggle over Confucianism set in motion by the crises at the end of the Qing. Like many who have read and enjoyed modern Chinese literature, however, I have long been familiar with the dramatic story of how basic Chinese understandings of humanity and the world came under attack in the twentieth century. In excavating the historical background of Ba Jin’s popular anti-Confucian novel Family , I have even contributed to the large body of scholarship on the May Fourth Movement and its condemnation of Confucian thought as “feudal.”
This book helps us piece together a different, but no less striking, story. In his introduction, “Confucianism for the Contemporary World,” Tze-ki Hon calls this story a “cultural miracle”—the preservation and adaptation of Confucian thought for the contemporary world, despite the attempts of its critics to consign it to the dustbin of history. As the scholars whose work is represented here make clear, even as Confucianism was being condemned during the first decades of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a core group of scholars outside of the PRC worked tirelessly to carry on the scholarly tradition of careful mastery and exegesis of a huge body of sophisticated texts. They also sought to find the terms through which Chinese philosophy could engage with other schools of thought, and particularly with European philosophy, which dominated—and still dominates—philosophical studies in Western and Western-style academies.
Since the 1980s, Confucian thought once again has become a subject of interest in mainland China. PRC scholars are now at the forefront of Confucian studies, and enthusiasm for Confucian culture extends far beyond the scholarly world, as the chapters in this volume demonstrate. The decision of the PRC government to choose “Confucius Institute” as the name for a global network of centers for the study of Chinese language and culture is just one of many indications of the renewed respect for the Sage in his geographical homeland.
The Confucius Institute at the University at Buffalo (UBCI) was established in 2009 as one node of this network, as a partnership between UB and Capital Normal University in Beijing. Its primary goal is to encourage study of Mandarin, particularly among schoolchildren across Western New York. In addition to working with regional school systems to establish Chinese-language programs, though, it also organizes cultural events and scholarly conferences. This volume originated during an April 2012 international conference UBCI sponsored, “Beyond the New Confucianism: Confucian Thought for Twenty-First Century China.” Tze-ki Hon and I organized the event and, with the exception of one chapter, all of the chapters herein were originally presented and discussed at the 2012 Buffalo conference. The organizers would like to thank the staff of the UB Asian Studies Program, the UB History Department, and the UBCI for their assistance with the conference. In particular, Dr. Eric Wenzhong Yang, then serving as UBCI executive director, handled myriad logistical details with his usual extraordinary energy, efficiency, and cheerfulness.
Several scholars whose work is not included in this volume participated in the conference, presenting their research, chairing sessions, or serving as discussants. These include James Beebe, Thomas Burkman, Zuyan Chen, Roger Des Forges, Daniel Elstein, Todd Goehle, On-cho Ng, Paul Poenicke, and Hagop Sarkissian. We thank them for their contributions. We are also grateful to Thomas Fröhlich, who was not a conference participant, for writing a chapter on Tang Junyi and thereby helping to round out the volume’s analysis of the scholars who kept Confucian studies alive in the mid-twentieth century. John Berthrong’s commentary enlivened our conference discussions, and the epilogue he wrote is as graceful as it is thoughtful.
Working with the chapter authors as they refined their work for publication was a pleasure. The editors wish to thank Gregory Epp and Therese Myers for their excellent work in copyediting the chapters. In the course of our work on the book, Nancy Ellegate, our SUNY Press editor, unexpectedly passed away. We join her SUNY Press colleagues—as well as many Asian studies scholars whose work she brought into print—in paying tribute to her service and mourning her passing.
Introduction
Confucianism for the Contemporary World
T ZE-KI H ON
We all know that China’s economy has grown rapidly since the early 1980s. Over three decades, China has become “the factory of the world,” producing manufactured goods ranging from cellular phones and solar panels to T-shirts and sneakers. Today, this spectacular growth is creating millions of nouveaux riches in the country—men and women who are eager to show off their wealth by purchasing high-end luxury goods from international brands such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton.
Nevertheless, we often forget