John Dewey in China

Jessica Ching-Sze Wang

Description

Combining biography with philosophy, this book explores John Dewey's two-year trip to China (1919–1921) and its legacy for him as a teacher and a learner. Jessica Ching-Sze Wang looks at how Dewey was received in China, what he learned, and how he was changed as a result. She examines the intriguing dynamics shaping China's reactions to Dewey and Dewey's interpretations of China, and details the evolving process in which Dewey came to understand China on its own terms, rather than from Eurocentric perspectives. Tracing China's influence on Dewey, Wang considers how his visit contributed to the subsequent development of his social and political philosophy. China provided a unique vantage point for Dewey to observe international politics, which led him to reconsider the meaning of internationalism. Also, his exposure to Chinese communal culture enabled him to reject the Western preoccupation with democracy in politics and to emphasize democracy as all-encompassing culture. Finally, Wang discusses how Dewey's own observations and appraisals of Chinese society can give credence to the notion of Confucian democracy for China.

Acknowledgments

1. Dewey and May Fourth China

Enacting a Historical Drama
Rethinking Dewey’s Visit in China
The Encounter between Dewey and China: Then and Now
Overview of Upcoming Chapters

2. Dewey as a Teacher

Dewey as a Modern Confucius
Dewey as “Mr. Science”
Dewey as “Mr. Democracy”
Dewey as the Common People’s Educator
Dewey as a Democratic Teacher
Whose Teaching? Or Hu’s Teaching?

3. The Reception of Dewey in China

The Dewey Fad
Marxist Challenges to Dewey’s Social and Political Philosophy
Traditionalist Responses to Dewey’s Educational Philosophy
Reconsidering “The Dewey Experiment”

4. Dewey as a Learner

Dewey as a Political Commentator
Dewey as a Goodwill Ambassador
Dewey as a Cultural Anthropologist
A Fruitful Journey to the East

5. The Influence of China on Dewey’s Social and Political Philosophy

Rethinking Internationalism
Replacing the State with the Public
Reconstructing Democracy
Mapping Out a Future for Confucian Democracy

6. Continuing the Dialogue on Dewey and China

Notes
Bibliography
Index

Sujets

• Philosophie
• Épistémologie
• Philosophie moderne
• Philosophie moderne
• Pragmatism
• Epistémologie
• Epistémologie
• Epistémologie

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 16 février 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9780791479544
• Langue: English

Extrait

JohnDewey inChina To Teach and To Learn

Jessica ChingSze Wang

J O H N D E W E Y I N C H I N A

SUNY series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture Roger T. Ames, editor

J O H N  D E W E Y I N  C H I N A

To Teach and to Learn

  E

Jessica Ching-Sze Wang

STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS

Photo of John Dewey and Alice Chipman Dewey with Hu Shih and Tao Xingzhi in Nanjing, China (1920), used with the permission of Special Collections Research Center, Morris Library, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, U.S.A.

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© 2007 State University of New York

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Wang, Jessica Ching-Sze.  John Dewey in China : to teach and to learn / Jessica Ching-Sze Wang.  p. cm. — (Suny series in Chinese philosophy and culture)  Includes bibliographical references and index.  ISBN 978-0-7914-7203-3 (hardcover : alk. paper)  1. Dewey, John, 1859–1952. 2. Social sciences—Philosophy. 3. Education—Philosophy. 4. Political science—Philosophy. 5. United States—Foreign relations—China. 6. China— Foreign relations—United States. I. Title. B945.D44C44 2007 191—dc22 2006036597

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Acknowledgments

C O N T E N T S   E

Chapter 1. Dewey and May Fourth China Enacting a Historical Drama Rethinking Dewey’s Visit in China The Encounter between Dewey and China: Then and Now Overview of Upcoming Chapters

Chapter 2. Dewey as a Teacher Dewey as a Modern Confucius Dewey as “Mr. Science” Dewey as “Mr. Democracy” Dewey as the Common People’s Educator Dewey as a Democratic Teacher Whose Teaching? Or Hu’s Teaching?

Chapter 3. The Reception of Dewey in China The Dewey Fad Marxist Challenges to Dewey’s Social and Political Philosophy Traditionalist Responses to Dewey’s Educational Philosophy Reconsidering “The Dewey Experiment”

Chapter 4. Dewey as a Learner Dewey as a Political Commentator Dewey as a Goodwill Ambassador Dewey as a Cultural Anthropologist A Fruitful Journey to the East

Chapter 5. The Influence of China on Dewey’s Social and Political Philosophy Rethinking Internationalism Replacing the State with the Public Reconstructing Democracy Mapping Out a Future for Confucian Democracy

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contents

Chapter 6. Continuing the Dialogue on Dewey and China

Notes

Bibliography

Index

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A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S   E

My study on John Dewey’s visit to China could not have been possible without the assistance and support of many individuals. First, I would like to thank Dr. Roger Ames and Dr. Jim Tiles for introducing me to this important topic and for offering constructive feedback throughout the years. I am especially indebted to Dr. Ames for encouraging me to con- vert my dissertation into a book and recommending my work to the State University of New York Press. My greatest debt is to Dr. Barry Bull, my dissertation advisor. His guidance has been a tremendous help in developing my ideas. I especially appreciated his editorial suggestions on the various drafts. His strong sense of duty as an academic is exemplary. I also want to thank the other members of my dissertation committee, Dr. Luise McCarty, Dr. Jeff Was- serstrom, and Dr. Don Warren. I am particularly grateful to Dr. McCarty, whose constant warmth and support made my life as a graduate student a very enjoyable and rewarding experience. I am also very fortunate to have met Dr. Wasserstrom, whose scholarly expertise and personal gen- erosity have contributed greatly to the development of my research. My work has also benefited substantially from informal conversa- tions with other scholars. Special thanks to Dr. Heidi Ross for inspiring the subtitle of my book, to Dr. David Wong for acknowledging the con- tribution of my work, to Dr. Vera Schwarcz for sharing her insights about May Fourth China, and above all, to Dr. Jim Garrison for sharpening my understanding about John Dewey. I also want to thank my two readers at SUNY Press. Their thoughtful comments helped improve the revision of the manuscript. In addition, my conversations with Dr. Larry Hickman and Dr. Matthew Pamental were very helpful for the revision. The con- tent of the final printed book, however, is my own responsibility. I would like to acknowledge the assistance of several institutions that have made the completion of my work possible. First, I am grateful to the East–West Center for sponsoring my two-year study at the University of Hawaii and for making my dream to study in the United States come true. I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to the School of Education at Indiana University, Bloomington, for providing a four-year Chancellor ’s fellowship that enabled me to complete my graduate stud- ies without financial worries, and to the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation

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acknowledgments

for its dissertation fellowship that allowed me to concentrate on writ- ing for one year. I am also thankful to the Center for Dewey Studies at Southern Illinois University for assisting me with the collection of mate- rials. Finally, I am grateful to my colleges and students at the National Chiayi University in Taiwan for providing a friendly and comfortable work environment that helped me complete the manuscript. In addition, I would like to thank Purdue University Press for granting me permis- sion to reprint the following material in chapter four: Jessica Ching-Sze Wang, “John Dewey as a Learner in China,” inand Cul-E&C / Education ture21 (1) (2005): 59–73. My acknowledgments would not be complete without mention- ing those who are close to me. I want to thank my parents, my husband, Hsiao-tzu Yang, and my best friend, Meichun, for their unyielding love and support. I also want to express gratitude to the following people who assisted me in various ways during the revision of the manuscript: my friends, Vincent and Mira, and my teaching assistant, Suechin. I also have to thank my best teachers, Ms. Deborah Brody in particular, for making a difference in my life. Finally, I am indebted to John Dewey for living out his own philosophy. I dedicate this book to him.

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D E W E Y A N D M AY F O U R T H C H I N A   E

Enacting a Historical Drama

The American philosopher John Dewey visited China in May 1919 and departed in July 1921. Coinciding with the well-known May Fourth movement, Dewey’s two-year visit demarcated a significant episode in the history of intellectual exchange between China and the United States. In a narrow sense, the May Fourth movement refers to the stu- dent demonstration in Beijing on May 4, 1919, in protest of the Versailles Peace Conference. In a broader sense, it represented a vast moderniza- tion movement from 1917 through 1921, which sought to reform China 1 through intellectual and social means. Interestingly, history creates its own dramas. Had the movement not occurred in May 1919, Dewey might not have lingered in China for two years and two months. To understand the significance of Dewey’s encounter with May Fourth China—where it all began and how it unfolded—we need to place his visit in a larger historical context, namely, the history of contact between China and the modern West. China began to enter truly into the Western consciousness in the six- teenth century as a land of tea and a potential kingdom of God. At the beginning of their contact, the West was a learner as well as a suppli- ant. It attempted to seek close relations with China to advance its trade 2 and enrich its culture. Nevertheless, China long remained indifferent to Western influence. In 1793 a British ambassador arrived in China to estab- lish formal diplomatic relations and open more sea ports for trade. How- ever, in his letter to British King George III, the Ching Emperor Qianlong stated, “we have never valued ingenious articles, nor do we have the

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