Canglong Wang | University of Brighton (original) (raw)
Papers by Canglong Wang
Citizenship Teaching & Learning, 2023
Focusing on nationalism and cosmopolitanism as elements influencing the discourse and practice of... more Focusing on nationalism and cosmopolitanism as elements influencing the discourse and practice of citizenship and citizenship education, this study discusses how they are construed and implemented by contemporary Confucian educational practitioners. By analysing the theoretical discourses of Confucian classical education and the pedagogical practices of a specific Confucian school, this study reveals the interweaving of nationalism and cosmopolitanism and the pedagogical practices involved in cultivating students as Confucian cosmopolitan citizens with a Chinese national identity. These findings contribute from an Indigenous perspective to the understanding of the shaping of civic subjectivity embedded in the Chinese Confucian context, in line with the ongoing intellectual shift towards post-orientalist citizenship. The study concludes that Confucian education has the potential to inspire citizenship and citizenship education studies by contributing ideas regarding the complexities of the relationship between national identity and global awareness emerging from Chinese politico-cultural circumstances to the internationally recognized rhetoric on citizenship.
Religions, 2022
Throughout the twenty-first century, Confucian education has rapidly expanded among the grassroot... more Throughout the twenty-first century, Confucian education has rapidly expanded among the grassroots in China. This study focuses on the most influential style of Confucian education, dujing (classics reading) education, and on a very understudied group, the students, in the Confucian education system. Using data collected at a Confucian school, this study aims to elucidate dujing students’ genuine thoughts and feelings toward their plans for future education. The findings suggest that dujing students exhibit an individualistic outlook, which is characterized by their personal aspirations, self-determination, independence, and self-pursuit, as well as a reluctance to pursue further Confucian studies. Their self-identity is further strengthened by resistance to the authoritarian discourse circulating in the domain of dujing education and by a shifting relationship with imposed parental expectations. This study argues that the development of Confucian individualism in students’ dujing e...
The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Citizenship, 2021
This chapter has sorted out the complicated relationships between Confucianism and citizenship in... more This chapter has sorted out the complicated relationships between Confucianism and citizenship in terms of three aspects. First, based on the philosophical literature, I have unpacked the relational diversities of Confucianism and citizenship. By classifying Confucianism into the illiberal and liberal types, and citizenship into the thin and thick ones, this chapter has problematized the oversimplified dual framework that dominates the understanding of Confucianism and its relevance to citizenship. By examining each of the types, I have clarified three theoretical camps of their relationships: incompatibility, compatibility and reconstruction. The second aspect involves the comparison of two subjects— junzi that is the Confucian ideal personality, and citizen that plays the fundamental role in modern politics. While I follow the aforementioned classification of thin and thick citizens, I continue to categorize junzi into two types— one as the moral subject and one as the governing subject. Following the framework established by two axes— the political/ legal and the moral/ ethical, I compare the pairs of junzi and citizen. It is found that, despite the moral compatibility for junzi and citizen, the two subjects lack consistency in terms of status equality and individual rights. Finally, this chapter has discussed the possibility and feasibility to construct a new subject of gentle citizen in present- day China. To cultivate a gentle citizen requires making the core elements of citizenship the subjective foundation, also supplemented by the Confucian attributes of junzi, so as to transform the individual to someone featured with both Confucian virtues and civic ethics. I propose that this is a realistic approach in terms of combining the two subject attributes, considering that contemporary China has established a citizenship regime for all entitled individuals, that the awareness of citizenship rights has been intensified, and that the moral landscape shift has caused spiritual and ethical contradictions in Chinese people’s subjective domain and public life. Establishing a Confucian- style citizenship education would be a meaningful project for China today.
本文在“身体一文化象征身份一民族国家”的框架下论述了微观权力机制下礼仪小姐的公共性别身份的建构。一方面，礼仪小姐在与民族国家的互动中实现了身体资本的理性运作，这体现在对身体的自我评估和对男性他者... more 本文在“身体一文化象征身份一民族国家”的框架下论述了微观权力机制下礼仪小姐的公共性别身份的建构。一方面，礼仪小姐在与民族国家的互动中实现了身体资本的理性运作，这体现在对身体的自我评估和对男性他者评定的认同上，但在公共父权制下，身体的主体性淹没在力图使之客体化的微观权力的技术策略中；另一方面，公共父权的凝视和民族国家的责任话语借助礼仪小姐的自我规训而建构起她们作为民族国家文化象征的性别身份
本文以政治法理与道德伦理为分类标准， 对君子与公民进行了比较分析， 发现它们既
Religions
This study focuses on the ongoing hybridisation of minjian (folk or popular, literally “among the... more This study focuses on the ongoing hybridisation of minjian (folk or popular, literally “among the people”) religious activities in rural areas of south China. It demonstrates recent changes in religious hybridisation through extensive fieldwork in two villages. It also investigates intellectual debate on the concept of minjian religion and presents the relationship between state power and the religious revival in contemporary Chinese society. It then draws on fieldwork data to examine the hybrid nature of Chinese minjian religion from three aspects: the diversification of participants, the performative hybridisation of rituals, and the blending of spatial layouts. The main argument is that the revival of minjian religion involves the hybridisation of mystical and secular elements and of traditional and modern elements through the complex interactions between rural communities and official authorities.
Theorizing Chinese Citizenship, Oct 19, 2015
This article has reviewed the range of critical debates on the role of Confucianism in developing... more This article has reviewed the range of critical debates on the role of Confucianism in developing East Asian citizenship. The conceptualization of citizenship as either thin or thick and the conceptualization of Confucianism as either liberal or illiberal have spurred three interpretations. The incompatibility interpretation construes citizenship thinly and Confucian traditions as illiberal. It posits that obligation-oriented, hierarchical and authoritarian Confucians directly oppose rights-oriented, equal and democratic citizenship. The compatibility interpretation construes citizenship as thin and Confucian traditions as liberal. It posits that modern Confucian societies hold values that are compatible with thin citizenship. Among these values are citizenship rights, individualism and equality, and democracy and constitutionalism. Lastly, the reconstruction interpretation encompasses both conceptualizations of Confucianism and thick citizenship. It suggests that the reformulation of liberal and illiberal Confucianism and thick citizenship can yield junzi citizens, ethical society, and tianxia citizenship, which are more appropriate for East Asian countries. I coin the term junzi citizens to show how thick citizenship is fused with Confucianism to create a new type of modern subject. Junzi citizens are communitarian active citizens who have both responsibilities for the community and initiative for civic participations.
Citizenship Studies
This article explores three core elements of citizenship – right, responsibility, and act – and t... more This article explores three core elements of citizenship – right, responsibility, and act – and their implications for the rise of Confucian activists in the revival of Confucian education in present-day China. Adopting an empirical research approach, the author draws from two sets of resources: public speeches by a leader in contemporary Confucian classical education, and interviews with teachers and parents at a Confucian school. A critical discourse analysis of the data is conducted to examine the emerging themes. First, the study identifies the widespread circulation of the discourse of right (quanli) to education within the field of Confucian education. Second, focusing on the emerging discourse of righteousness (yi), it reveals how this particular Confucian ideology, articulated through local terminologies, generates a sense of civic responsibility and obligation. Third, it investigates the Confucian idea of “extending innate knowledge” (zhi liangzhi) and its contribution to the conversion of internal, individual ethical reflection to creative, civic acts. Based on the findings, this study challenges the popular characterisation of Confucianism as a contradiction to citizenship. The revival of Confucian education offers an opportunity to explore a more nuanced understanding of the effects of Confucianism on the formation of the “Confucian citizen”.
Chinese Education & Society
This article explores the conceptualization of cosmopolitan citizen and the relevant teaching pra... more This article explores the conceptualization of cosmopolitan citizen and the relevant teaching practice in the emerging Confucian classical education in contemporary China. It addresses two aspects. First, the cosmopolitan orientation of the cultural subject constructed in the theory of classics-reading education is embedded in the presupposition of common humanity and universal wisdom. Based on this, Confucian classical education claims to transcend the boundaries among nation-states and commits to promoting the communication and integration between Chinese and western cultures. Second, in the case study of Yiqian School, the image of cosmopolitan citizen flags up the dimension of ethical virtue, in particular, civic quality. The empirical discussion also shows the contradictions in practicing the method of memorization. The article reaches the argument that the renewal of Confucian classical education demonstrates a cosmopolitan orientation in citizen cultivation, this being not contradictory to but reinforcing with the intertwined nationalist emotions and identities.
通过关注正在当代中国复兴的儒家读经教育，作者以读经学生为研究对象，对他们进行了正式或非正式访谈，讨论了他们的公民身份在读经过程中的塑造。本文的基本论点是：儒家读经教育塑造了学生的自我主体性，形成... more 通过关注正在当代中国复兴的儒家读经教育，作者以读经学生为研究对象，对他们进行了正式或非正式访谈，讨论了他们的公民身份在读经过程中的塑造。本文的基本论点是：儒家读经教育塑造了学生的自我主体性，形成一种新的文化公民身份——儒家公民；儒家公民的基本品质是好学精神、伦理秩序、文化权利和文化责任。对儒家公民身份的私人性和公共性的讨论将我们引向了儒家与现代性的关系问题。
在新生代农民工的社会关系中，友缘是一种涵盖范围广并具有特殊性的关系形态。以往的研究大多将“朋友”与“亲戚”放在一起并称为“亲友”，但这一概念在日后的演变中逐渐离析。根据问卷调查的数据，友缘(化)... more 在新生代农民工的社会关系中，友缘是一种涵盖范围广并具有特殊性的关系形态。以往的研究大多将“朋友”与“亲戚”放在一起并称为“亲友”，但这一概念在日后的演变中逐渐离析。根据问卷调查的数据，友缘(化)关系可以分为三种类型：“友缘化关系”，“初级友缘关系”，“次级友缘关系”。不管何种类型，在新生代农民工融入城市的过程中都会发生友缘社会资本的变动。一方面，个体借助“友缘链”扩展社会资本。通过偶然机会结识朋友的比例很高。另一方面，不可抗的社会事件是造成友缘社会资本流失的重要原因。
Journal of Chinese Political Science, 2016
Is Confucianism compatible with citizenship? If yes, how? Cultural transformation in recent citiz... more Is Confucianism compatible with citizenship? If yes, how? Cultural transformation in recent citizenship studies provides a theoretical junction to bring the two concepts together. In terms of cultural citizenship, this paper explores the making of Confucian cultural citizens by analyzing students' discourses in a Chinese Confucian classical school. It reveals (1) the process of moral self-transformation, whereby the individualities are embedded into ethical relations by the extensive readings of classical literature; (2) practically discursive contradictions between individualism and authoritarianism that is based on the notion of a cultural hierarchy; and (3) the institutional predicament in striving for the recognition of cultural citizenship by the state and society. Finally, it concludes that the dilemmas in discourses and status are part of the contradictions in the overall Chinese party-state's management of individualization.
China Perspectives, 2018
This article discusses the ongoing debates about classics reading (dujing 读经) in the revitalisati... more This article discusses the ongoing debates about classics reading (dujing 读经) in the revitalisation and diversification of Confucian classical education in mainland China. It begins by reviewing two disputes about dujing in modern Chinese history and then turns to the contemporary debate, focusing on how one professional and experienced practitioner expounded on the disparities in practicing classical education. The author summarises three controversial issues-(1) the relationship between the educative principles and methods, (2) historical legitimacy, and (3) the linguistic nature of Chinese language. Based on these, this paper reflects on the current dujing movement by concluding that the diversification of classical education has complicated the authenticity of "Chineseness" and rendered it a debatable public issue.
Journal of Social Science 社会科学, 2021
当前有关中国社会学本土化的争论已经分化为两个针锋相对的立场：一是学科规范立场，主张把中国作为工具，目的是促进全世界范围内社会学学科的整体发展；一是民族国家立场，主张把中国视为目的，社会学理论和方... more 当前有关中国社会学本土化的争论已经分化为两个针锋相对的立场：一是学科规范立场，主张把中国作为工具，目的是促进全世界范围内社会学学科的整体发展；一是民族国家立场，主张把中国视为目的，社会学理论和方法只是认识和理解中国的工具。这两种立场偏执其一，各有不足。如何对待量化统计方法，成为区分二者的关键。以英国社会学本土化历程为例，可以说明英国社会学如何在处理与异质性的统计学传统的关系中生成自己的学科主体性，最终表现出“反量化”取向和“通识学科”定位。突出人文性和突出科学性，将是中国社会学本土化的两条路径，但二者并不必然对立，完全可以把理解中国经验与推动学术规范相结合。
Tian Fu New Idea 天府新论, 2022
在福柯生命晚期， 他曾以“说真话” 为主题探讨了古希腊哲学的主体与真理模式。本文通过回应三个问题来推进当前对该话题的讨论： 第一， 福柯是怎么讨论“ 说真话” 的？ 第二， 如何在福柯总体思想框... more 在福柯生命晚期， 他曾以“说真话” 为主题探讨了古希腊哲学的主体与真理模式。本文通过回应三个问题来推进当前对该话题的讨论： 第一， 福柯是怎么讨论“ 说真话” 的？ 第二， 如何在福柯总体思想框架里理解“说真话” 问题？ 第三， “说真话” 问题反映了福柯怎样的主体伦理学？ 对此， 本文的论点是： 第一， 福柯对直言的讨论侧重伦理维度， 特别是以苏格拉底式直言和犬儒主义直言为典型的伦理直言， 突出了对伦理区分原则的关注； 第二， “说真话” 问题是福柯思想脉络在晚期的一个延续性发展， 是其思想焦点的一次调整而非断裂； 第三， “说真话” 问题是福柯一以贯之发展的“不安伦理学” 的一个体现， 反映了他批判的、拒绝的、反抗的、违犯的主体观念。
Religions, 2022
This study focuses on the ongoing hybridisation of minjian (folk or popular, literally “among the... more This study focuses on the ongoing hybridisation of minjian (folk or popular, literally “among the people”) religious activities in rural areas of south China. It demonstrates recent changes in religious hybridisation through extensive fieldwork in two villages. It also investigates intellectual debate on the concept of minjian religion and presents the relationship between state power and the religious revival in contemporary Chinese society. It then draws on fieldwork data to examine the hybrid nature of Chinese minjian religion from three aspects: the diversification of participants, the performative hybridisation of rituals, and the blending of spatial layouts. The main argument is that the revival of minjian religion involves the hybridisation of mystical and secular elements and of traditional and modern elements through the complex interactions between rural communities and official authorities.
Citizenship Teaching & Learning, 2023
Focusing on nationalism and cosmopolitanism as elements influencing the discourse and practice of... more Focusing on nationalism and cosmopolitanism as elements influencing the discourse and practice of citizenship and citizenship education, this study discusses how they are construed and implemented by contemporary Confucian educational practitioners. By analysing the theoretical discourses of Confucian classical education and the pedagogical practices of a specific Confucian school, this study reveals the interweaving of nationalism and cosmopolitanism and the pedagogical practices involved in cultivating students as Confucian cosmopolitan citizens with a Chinese national identity. These findings contribute from an Indigenous perspective to the understanding of the shaping of civic subjectivity embedded in the Chinese Confucian context, in line with the ongoing intellectual shift towards post-orientalist citizenship. The study concludes that Confucian education has the potential to inspire citizenship and citizenship education studies by contributing ideas regarding the complexities of the relationship between national identity and global awareness emerging from Chinese politico-cultural circumstances to the internationally recognized rhetoric on citizenship.
Religions, 2022
Throughout the twenty-first century, Confucian education has rapidly expanded among the grassroot... more Throughout the twenty-first century, Confucian education has rapidly expanded among the grassroots in China. This study focuses on the most influential style of Confucian education, dujing (classics reading) education, and on a very understudied group, the students, in the Confucian education system. Using data collected at a Confucian school, this study aims to elucidate dujing students’ genuine thoughts and feelings toward their plans for future education. The findings suggest that dujing students exhibit an individualistic outlook, which is characterized by their personal aspirations, self-determination, independence, and self-pursuit, as well as a reluctance to pursue further Confucian studies. Their self-identity is further strengthened by resistance to the authoritarian discourse circulating in the domain of dujing education and by a shifting relationship with imposed parental expectations. This study argues that the development of Confucian individualism in students’ dujing e...
The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Citizenship, 2021
This chapter has sorted out the complicated relationships between Confucianism and citizenship in... more This chapter has sorted out the complicated relationships between Confucianism and citizenship in terms of three aspects. First, based on the philosophical literature, I have unpacked the relational diversities of Confucianism and citizenship. By classifying Confucianism into the illiberal and liberal types, and citizenship into the thin and thick ones, this chapter has problematized the oversimplified dual framework that dominates the understanding of Confucianism and its relevance to citizenship. By examining each of the types, I have clarified three theoretical camps of their relationships: incompatibility, compatibility and reconstruction. The second aspect involves the comparison of two subjects— junzi that is the Confucian ideal personality, and citizen that plays the fundamental role in modern politics. While I follow the aforementioned classification of thin and thick citizens, I continue to categorize junzi into two types— one as the moral subject and one as the governing subject. Following the framework established by two axes— the political/ legal and the moral/ ethical, I compare the pairs of junzi and citizen. It is found that, despite the moral compatibility for junzi and citizen, the two subjects lack consistency in terms of status equality and individual rights. Finally, this chapter has discussed the possibility and feasibility to construct a new subject of gentle citizen in present- day China. To cultivate a gentle citizen requires making the core elements of citizenship the subjective foundation, also supplemented by the Confucian attributes of junzi, so as to transform the individual to someone featured with both Confucian virtues and civic ethics. I propose that this is a realistic approach in terms of combining the two subject attributes, considering that contemporary China has established a citizenship regime for all entitled individuals, that the awareness of citizenship rights has been intensified, and that the moral landscape shift has caused spiritual and ethical contradictions in Chinese people’s subjective domain and public life. Establishing a Confucian- style citizenship education would be a meaningful project for China today.
本文在“身体一文化象征身份一民族国家”的框架下论述了微观权力机制下礼仪小姐的公共性别身份的建构。一方面，礼仪小姐在与民族国家的互动中实现了身体资本的理性运作，这体现在对身体的自我评估和对男性他者... more 本文在“身体一文化象征身份一民族国家”的框架下论述了微观权力机制下礼仪小姐的公共性别身份的建构。一方面，礼仪小姐在与民族国家的互动中实现了身体资本的理性运作，这体现在对身体的自我评估和对男性他者评定的认同上，但在公共父权制下，身体的主体性淹没在力图使之客体化的微观权力的技术策略中；另一方面，公共父权的凝视和民族国家的责任话语借助礼仪小姐的自我规训而建构起她们作为民族国家文化象征的性别身份
本文以政治法理与道德伦理为分类标准， 对君子与公民进行了比较分析， 发现它们既
Religions
This study focuses on the ongoing hybridisation of minjian (folk or popular, literally “among the... more This study focuses on the ongoing hybridisation of minjian (folk or popular, literally “among the people”) religious activities in rural areas of south China. It demonstrates recent changes in religious hybridisation through extensive fieldwork in two villages. It also investigates intellectual debate on the concept of minjian religion and presents the relationship between state power and the religious revival in contemporary Chinese society. It then draws on fieldwork data to examine the hybrid nature of Chinese minjian religion from three aspects: the diversification of participants, the performative hybridisation of rituals, and the blending of spatial layouts. The main argument is that the revival of minjian religion involves the hybridisation of mystical and secular elements and of traditional and modern elements through the complex interactions between rural communities and official authorities.
Theorizing Chinese Citizenship, Oct 19, 2015
This article has reviewed the range of critical debates on the role of Confucianism in developing... more This article has reviewed the range of critical debates on the role of Confucianism in developing East Asian citizenship. The conceptualization of citizenship as either thin or thick and the conceptualization of Confucianism as either liberal or illiberal have spurred three interpretations. The incompatibility interpretation construes citizenship thinly and Confucian traditions as illiberal. It posits that obligation-oriented, hierarchical and authoritarian Confucians directly oppose rights-oriented, equal and democratic citizenship. The compatibility interpretation construes citizenship as thin and Confucian traditions as liberal. It posits that modern Confucian societies hold values that are compatible with thin citizenship. Among these values are citizenship rights, individualism and equality, and democracy and constitutionalism. Lastly, the reconstruction interpretation encompasses both conceptualizations of Confucianism and thick citizenship. It suggests that the reformulation of liberal and illiberal Confucianism and thick citizenship can yield junzi citizens, ethical society, and tianxia citizenship, which are more appropriate for East Asian countries. I coin the term junzi citizens to show how thick citizenship is fused with Confucianism to create a new type of modern subject. Junzi citizens are communitarian active citizens who have both responsibilities for the community and initiative for civic participations.
Citizenship Studies
This article explores three core elements of citizenship – right, responsibility, and act – and t... more This article explores three core elements of citizenship – right, responsibility, and act – and their implications for the rise of Confucian activists in the revival of Confucian education in present-day China. Adopting an empirical research approach, the author draws from two sets of resources: public speeches by a leader in contemporary Confucian classical education, and interviews with teachers and parents at a Confucian school. A critical discourse analysis of the data is conducted to examine the emerging themes. First, the study identifies the widespread circulation of the discourse of right (quanli) to education within the field of Confucian education. Second, focusing on the emerging discourse of righteousness (yi), it reveals how this particular Confucian ideology, articulated through local terminologies, generates a sense of civic responsibility and obligation. Third, it investigates the Confucian idea of “extending innate knowledge” (zhi liangzhi) and its contribution to the conversion of internal, individual ethical reflection to creative, civic acts. Based on the findings, this study challenges the popular characterisation of Confucianism as a contradiction to citizenship. The revival of Confucian education offers an opportunity to explore a more nuanced understanding of the effects of Confucianism on the formation of the “Confucian citizen”.
Chinese Education & Society
This article explores the conceptualization of cosmopolitan citizen and the relevant teaching pra... more This article explores the conceptualization of cosmopolitan citizen and the relevant teaching practice in the emerging Confucian classical education in contemporary China. It addresses two aspects. First, the cosmopolitan orientation of the cultural subject constructed in the theory of classics-reading education is embedded in the presupposition of common humanity and universal wisdom. Based on this, Confucian classical education claims to transcend the boundaries among nation-states and commits to promoting the communication and integration between Chinese and western cultures. Second, in the case study of Yiqian School, the image of cosmopolitan citizen flags up the dimension of ethical virtue, in particular, civic quality. The empirical discussion also shows the contradictions in practicing the method of memorization. The article reaches the argument that the renewal of Confucian classical education demonstrates a cosmopolitan orientation in citizen cultivation, this being not contradictory to but reinforcing with the intertwined nationalist emotions and identities.
通过关注正在当代中国复兴的儒家读经教育，作者以读经学生为研究对象，对他们进行了正式或非正式访谈，讨论了他们的公民身份在读经过程中的塑造。本文的基本论点是：儒家读经教育塑造了学生的自我主体性，形成... more 通过关注正在当代中国复兴的儒家读经教育，作者以读经学生为研究对象，对他们进行了正式或非正式访谈，讨论了他们的公民身份在读经过程中的塑造。本文的基本论点是：儒家读经教育塑造了学生的自我主体性，形成一种新的文化公民身份——儒家公民；儒家公民的基本品质是好学精神、伦理秩序、文化权利和文化责任。对儒家公民身份的私人性和公共性的讨论将我们引向了儒家与现代性的关系问题。
在新生代农民工的社会关系中，友缘是一种涵盖范围广并具有特殊性的关系形态。以往的研究大多将“朋友”与“亲戚”放在一起并称为“亲友”，但这一概念在日后的演变中逐渐离析。根据问卷调查的数据，友缘(化)... more 在新生代农民工的社会关系中，友缘是一种涵盖范围广并具有特殊性的关系形态。以往的研究大多将“朋友”与“亲戚”放在一起并称为“亲友”，但这一概念在日后的演变中逐渐离析。根据问卷调查的数据，友缘(化)关系可以分为三种类型：“友缘化关系”，“初级友缘关系”，“次级友缘关系”。不管何种类型，在新生代农民工融入城市的过程中都会发生友缘社会资本的变动。一方面，个体借助“友缘链”扩展社会资本。通过偶然机会结识朋友的比例很高。另一方面，不可抗的社会事件是造成友缘社会资本流失的重要原因。
Journal of Chinese Political Science, 2016
Is Confucianism compatible with citizenship? If yes, how? Cultural transformation in recent citiz... more Is Confucianism compatible with citizenship? If yes, how? Cultural transformation in recent citizenship studies provides a theoretical junction to bring the two concepts together. In terms of cultural citizenship, this paper explores the making of Confucian cultural citizens by analyzing students' discourses in a Chinese Confucian classical school. It reveals (1) the process of moral self-transformation, whereby the individualities are embedded into ethical relations by the extensive readings of classical literature; (2) practically discursive contradictions between individualism and authoritarianism that is based on the notion of a cultural hierarchy; and (3) the institutional predicament in striving for the recognition of cultural citizenship by the state and society. Finally, it concludes that the dilemmas in discourses and status are part of the contradictions in the overall Chinese party-state's management of individualization.
China Perspectives, 2018
This article discusses the ongoing debates about classics reading (dujing 读经) in the revitalisati... more This article discusses the ongoing debates about classics reading (dujing 读经) in the revitalisation and diversification of Confucian classical education in mainland China. It begins by reviewing two disputes about dujing in modern Chinese history and then turns to the contemporary debate, focusing on how one professional and experienced practitioner expounded on the disparities in practicing classical education. The author summarises three controversial issues-(1) the relationship between the educative principles and methods, (2) historical legitimacy, and (3) the linguistic nature of Chinese language. Based on these, this paper reflects on the current dujing movement by concluding that the diversification of classical education has complicated the authenticity of "Chineseness" and rendered it a debatable public issue.
Journal of Social Science 社会科学, 2021
当前有关中国社会学本土化的争论已经分化为两个针锋相对的立场：一是学科规范立场，主张把中国作为工具，目的是促进全世界范围内社会学学科的整体发展；一是民族国家立场，主张把中国视为目的，社会学理论和方... more 当前有关中国社会学本土化的争论已经分化为两个针锋相对的立场：一是学科规范立场，主张把中国作为工具，目的是促进全世界范围内社会学学科的整体发展；一是民族国家立场，主张把中国视为目的，社会学理论和方法只是认识和理解中国的工具。这两种立场偏执其一，各有不足。如何对待量化统计方法，成为区分二者的关键。以英国社会学本土化历程为例，可以说明英国社会学如何在处理与异质性的统计学传统的关系中生成自己的学科主体性，最终表现出“反量化”取向和“通识学科”定位。突出人文性和突出科学性，将是中国社会学本土化的两条路径，但二者并不必然对立，完全可以把理解中国经验与推动学术规范相结合。
Tian Fu New Idea 天府新论, 2022
在福柯生命晚期， 他曾以“说真话” 为主题探讨了古希腊哲学的主体与真理模式。本文通过回应三个问题来推进当前对该话题的讨论： 第一， 福柯是怎么讨论“ 说真话” 的？ 第二， 如何在福柯总体思想框... more 在福柯生命晚期， 他曾以“说真话” 为主题探讨了古希腊哲学的主体与真理模式。本文通过回应三个问题来推进当前对该话题的讨论： 第一， 福柯是怎么讨论“ 说真话” 的？ 第二， 如何在福柯总体思想框架里理解“说真话” 问题？ 第三， “说真话” 问题反映了福柯怎样的主体伦理学？ 对此， 本文的论点是： 第一， 福柯对直言的讨论侧重伦理维度， 特别是以苏格拉底式直言和犬儒主义直言为典型的伦理直言， 突出了对伦理区分原则的关注； 第二， “说真话” 问题是福柯思想脉络在晚期的一个延续性发展， 是其思想焦点的一次调整而非断裂； 第三， “说真话” 问题是福柯一以贯之发展的“不安伦理学” 的一个体现， 反映了他批判的、拒绝的、反抗的、违犯的主体观念。
Religions, 2022
This study focuses on the ongoing hybridisation of minjian (folk or popular, literally “among the... more This study focuses on the ongoing hybridisation of minjian (folk or popular, literally “among the people”) religious activities in rural areas of south China. It demonstrates recent changes in religious hybridisation through extensive fieldwork in two villages. It also investigates intellectual debate on the concept of minjian religion and presents the relationship between state power and the religious revival in contemporary Chinese society. It then draws on fieldwork data to examine the hybrid nature of Chinese minjian religion from three aspects: the diversification of participants, the performative hybridisation of rituals, and the blending of spatial layouts. The main argument is that the revival of minjian religion involves the hybridisation of mystical and secular elements and of traditional and modern elements through the complex interactions between rural communities and official authorities.
This book explores the relationship between Confucianism and citizenship and the rise of Confucia... more 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.
The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Citizenship, 2021
This chapter has sorted out the complicated relationships between Confucianism and citizenship in... more This chapter has sorted out the complicated relationships between Confucianism and citizenship in terms of three aspects. First, based on the philosophical literature, I have unpacked the relational diversities of Confucianism and citizenship. By classifying Confucianism into the illiberal and liberal types, and citizenship into the thin and thick ones, this chapter has problematized the oversimplified dual framework that dominates the understanding of Confucianism and its relevance to citizenship. By examining each of the types, I have clarified three theoretical camps of their relationships: incompatibility, compatibility and reconstruction.
The second aspect involves the comparison of two subjects— junzi that is the Confucian ideal personality, and citizen that plays the fundamental role in modern politics. While I follow the aforementioned classification of thin and thick citizens, I continue to categorize junzi into two types— one as the moral subject and one as the governing subject. Following the framework established by two axes— the political/ legal and the moral/ ethical, I compare the pairs of junzi and citizen. It is found that, despite the moral compatibility for junzi and citizen, the two subjects lack consistency in terms of status equality and individual rights.
Finally, this chapter has discussed the possibility and feasibility to construct a new subject of gentle citizen in present- day China. To cultivate a gentle citizen requires making the core elements of citizenship the subjective foundation, also supplemented by the Confucian attributes of junzi, so as to transform the individual to someone featured with both Confucian virtues and civic ethics. I propose that this is a realistic approach in terms of combining the two subject attributes, considering that contemporary China has established a citizenship regime for all entitled individuals, that the awareness of citizenship rights has been intensified, and that the moral landscape shift has caused spiritual and ethical contradictions in Chinese people’s subjective domain and public life. Establishing a Confucian- style citizenship education would be a meaningful project for China today.
Theorizing Chinese Citizenship, Oct 19, 2015
This article has reviewed the range of critical debates on the role of Confucianism in developing... more This article has reviewed the range of critical debates on the role of Confucianism in developing East Asian citizenship. The conceptualization of citizenship as either thin or thick and the conceptualization of Confucianism as either liberal or illiberal have spurred three interpretations. The incompatibility interpretation construes citizenship thinly and Confucian traditions as illiberal. It posits that obligation-oriented, hierarchical and authoritarian Confucians directly oppose rights-oriented, equal and democratic citizenship. The compatibility interpretation construes citizenship as thin and Confucian traditions as liberal. It posits that modern Confucian societies hold values that are compatible with thin citizenship. Among these values are citizenship rights, individualism and equality, and democracy and constitutionalism. Lastly, the reconstruction interpretation encompasses both conceptualizations of Confucianism and thick citizenship. It suggests that the reformulation of liberal and illiberal Confucianism and thick citizenship can yield junzi citizens, ethical society, and tianxia citizenship, which are more appropriate for East Asian countries. I coin the term junzi citizens to show how thick citizenship is fused with Confucianism to create a new type of modern subject. Junzi citizens are communitarian active citizens who have both responsibilities for the community and initiative for civic participations.
Education and Modernity in Sociology 社会学视野中的教育与现代性, 2015
通过关注正在当代中国复兴的儒家读经教育，作者以读经学生为研究对象，对他们进行了正式或非正式访谈，讨论了他们的公民身份在读经过程中的塑造。本文的基本论点是：儒家读经教育塑造了学生的自我主体性，形成... more 通过关注正在当代中国复兴的儒家读经教育，作者以读经学生为研究对象，对他们进行了正式或非正式访谈，讨论了他们的公民身份在读经过程中的塑造。本文的基本论点是：儒家读经教育塑造了学生的自我主体性，形成一种新的文化公民身份——儒家公民；儒家公民的基本品质是好学精神、伦理秩序、文化权利和文化责任。对儒家公民身份的私人性和公共性的讨论将我们引向了儒家与现代性的关系问题。
Chinese Citizenship: Historical Development and Contemporary Practices 中国公民身份：历史发展与当代实践, 2014
本文通过对当代读经教育运动中一个私塾S校的分析，探讨了读经教育个体的文化公民身份的塑造过程。这是一个包括公民主体的自制和中国文化主义、国家教育体制的他制双重作用的主体化过程。这个过程建立在以个体... more 本文通过对当代读经教育运动中一个私塾S校的分析，探讨了读经教育个体的文化公民身份的塑造过程。这是一个包括公民主体的自制和中国文化主义、国家教育体制的他制双重作用的主体化过程。这个过程建立在以个体与国家为核心关系的国家管理下的个体化进程中，关联着私人领域和公共领域——二者彼此渗透、交互作用。
Please find my publications up to 2024 in the document.