The Rise of Confucian Citizens in China: Theoretical Reflections and Empirical Explorations

by Canglong Wang

Overview

This book explores the relationship between Confucianism and citizenship and the rise of Confucian citizens in contemporary China.

Combining theoretical and empirical approaches to the topic, the book constructs new frameworks to examine the nuances and complexities of Confucianism and citizenship, exploring the process of citizen-making through Confucian education. By re-evaluating the concept of citizenship as a Western construct and therefore challenging the popular characterization of Confucianism and citizenship as incompatible, this book posits that a new type of citizen, the Confucian citizen, is on the rise in 21st-century China.

The book’s clear, accessible style makes it essential reading for students and scholars interested in citizenship, Confucianism and Chinese studies, and those with an interest in religion and philosophy more generally.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032380940
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	11/28/2024
Series:	Routledge Contemporary China Series
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Canglong Wang is a Lecturer in Chinese Studies at the University of Hull. He received his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Edinburgh in 2019. His research extensively explores the cultural, social, and political implications of the revival of Confucian education in contemporary China. He has a persistent research interest in the topic of Confucianism and citizenship in China. His work has appeared in many leading journals and edited volumes. He is the author of Cultivating the Confucian Individual: The Confucian Education Revival in China (2023). He can be contacted via email at [e-mail] or [e-mail].

Table of Contents

Introduction: Chinese citizenship, Confucianism, and the Confucian education revival Part 1: Confucianism and Citizenship revisited: Theoretical Reflections 1. Confucianism and Citizenship: A Review of Opposing Conceptualizations 2. Civic Politics and Moral Cultivation: Comparing Confucian Junzi with Modern Citizens 3. Towards the Junzi-Style Citizen: Moralizing Citizens Through Confucianism Part 2: Cultivating the Confucian Citizen: Empirical Explorations 4. Confucian Identity, Rights, Righteousness, and Acts of Citizenship: Examining Civic Elements in Confucian Activists’ Engagement in Dujing (Classics Reading) Education 5. Discursive, Practical, and Institutional Paradoxes: Cultivating Students to Become Confucian Cultural Citizens Through Reading the Classics 6. Between Nationalism and Cosmopolitanism: Educating the Cosmopolitan Citizen in Confucian Education

Editorial Reviews

"The Rise of Confucian Citizens in China explores key questions: How have Confucianism and citizenship, which are often perceived as contrasting traditions, coexisted in China over the past century? What new insights have emerged from their coexistence? This work offers persuasive answers, exploring the extent of compatibility between Confucianism and citizenship, the mechanisms facilitating this compatibility, and the outcomes of their integration. It not only provides fresh perspectives for the study of China’s politics, but also introduces novel considerations for the broader examination of citizenship."

Zhonghua Guo, Professor of Political Science at Nanjing University, China.

"Confucianism, with its emphasis on responsibilities rather than rights, seems to be incompatible with citizenship. This thought-provoking book argues otherwise. At the level of theory, Confucian ideals can enrich the concept of citizenship and Confucian-style education in China shows how this might be done in practice."

Daniel A. Bell, Chair Professor of Political Theory at the University of Hong Kong.

"This study significantly contributes to the academic discourse on educational sociology by providing a sophisticated examination of the emergence and implications of ‘Confucian citizens’ in China, illuminating the complex dynamics between traditional values and contemporary educational practices."

Zhenzhou Zhao, Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the Education University of Hong Kong.

"In a global discursive environment fragmented by dualism and nativism, I highly recommend this book, not only because it contributes to bridging two foundational concepts in human political thinking, but also because it prompts reflection on the commonality of human aspirations and the diversity of human strivings."

Liangliang Zhang, China Perspectives, 2024

From the Publisher