Confucianism for the Contemporary World

Discusses contemporary Confucianism's relevance and its capacity to address pressing social and political issues of twenty-first-century life.

Discusses contemporary Confucianism's relevance and its capacity to address pressing social and political issues of twenty-first-century life.

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.

Tze-ki Hon is Associate Professor of History at the State University of New York at Geneseo.

Tze-ki Hon is Professor of Chinese and History at City University of Hong Kong. He is the author of The Yijing and Chinese Politics: Classical Commentary and Literati Activism in the Northern Song Period, 960–1127, also published by SUNY Press; Revolution as Restoration: Guocui Xuebao and China's Path to Modernity, 1905–1911; and The Allure of the Nation: The Cultural and Historical Debates in Late Qing and Republican China. Kristin Stapleton is Professor of History at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. She is the author of Civilizing Chengdu: Chinese Urban Reform, 1895–1937 and Fact in Fiction: 1920s China and Ba Jin's Family.

"…an applaudable and comprehensive discussion of the contemporary revival/reconstruction of Confucianism—also called New Confucianism—and its implications and manifestations in international relations, political theory, and social practice, among other things. The editors have assembled several of the finest scholars on contemporary Confucianism from diverse disciplines such as philosophy, international relations, Sinology, and media studies, who have contributed fourteen insightful and thought-provoking articles." — Asian Review of World Histories

"It is noteworthy that the focus of this book is the role of Confucianism for today's China and for the rest of the world as well. Hence, the exploration of how New Confucianism can become an antidote to the problems of alienation, commodification, and social injustice in modern society has relevance for all of us who live in today's world." — Reading Religion