2017
DOI: 10.1177/1474885117703768
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How should we use the Chinese past? Contemporary Confucianism, the ‘reorganization of the national heritage’ and non-Western histories of thought in a global age

Abstract: In this essay I argue that recent philosophical attempts to ‘modernise’ Confucianism rehearse problematic relationships to the past that – far from broadening Confucianism’s appeal beyond its typical borders – end up narrowing its scope as a source of scholarly knowledge. This is because the very attempt to modernise assumes a rupture with a past in which Confucianism was once alive and relevant, fixing its identity to a static historical place disconnected from the present. I go on to explore alternative mean… Show more

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Cited by 8 publications
(5 citation statements)
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“…For example, she accuses interpreters such as Joseph Chan of imputing external concepts and standards to Confucianism thereby dissociating it from its own which makes Confucian values intelligible in the first place. Instead, Jenco (2017) enjoins theorists to turn to different, indigenous "modes of relating to the past" including the "national heritage" approach by which one seeks newness in its relationship and continuity with the past. It should be noted, however, that both comparative political theorists and reconstructivists are interested in the global scope of political theory not confined to China or East Asia.…”
Section: The Method-centric Approachmentioning
confidence: 99%
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“…For example, she accuses interpreters such as Joseph Chan of imputing external concepts and standards to Confucianism thereby dissociating it from its own which makes Confucian values intelligible in the first place. Instead, Jenco (2017) enjoins theorists to turn to different, indigenous "modes of relating to the past" including the "national heritage" approach by which one seeks newness in its relationship and continuity with the past. It should be noted, however, that both comparative political theorists and reconstructivists are interested in the global scope of political theory not confined to China or East Asia.…”
Section: The Method-centric Approachmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Confucian political theorists have recently gone to great lengths to discuss the relevance of Confucianism to values of modernity including human rights, public reason and democracy as well as methods of inquiry. Many have explored not only compatibility between Confucianism and modernity, but also how Confucianism can contribute to normative thinking today thereby making for a wide array of theories self-identified as "Confucian" (Angle 2012;Bai 2019;Bell and Pei 2020;Chan 2013;Jenco 2017;Kim 2018;Tan 2003). These diverse accounts differ in scope and purpose and are often crosscutting rather than converse in exactly the same space.…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
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“…However, some scholars believe that by adapting them to Confucianism and adapting to the modern world, most of these attempts transfer problematic relationships from the past, which significantly diminishes the appeal of Confucianism and increases its irrelevance, narrowing its scope as a source of scientific knowledge. As a result, such reconstructions can only evoke memories of the "essence" and "spirit" of Confucianism, which could be adapted to modern institutions and norms rather than Confucian knowledge, which continues to influence current research (Jenco, 2017).…”
Section: Confucian Philosophy In Modern Western Studiesmentioning
confidence: 99%
“… 13. Chan Hok Yin argues that the continuity in Gu’s work lies in his commitment to explicating the plurality of the Chinese past and to finding unity in plurality, and vice versa (Chan, 2016: 195). I agree, but would stress the important political goals such commitments served: here, they underwrote Gu’s support for research on a broadly expanded “Chinese nation.” (For an introduction to the “reorganization of the national heritage” movement, see Eber, 1968; for a discussion of Gu’s relationship to that movement, see Jenco, 2017: 463–65. ) …”
mentioning
confidence: 99%