China’s New Confucianism: Politics and Everyday Life in a Changing Society (New in Paper)
- ISBN13: 9780691145853
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
What is it like to be a Westerner teaching political philosophy in an officially Marxist state? Why do Chinese sex workers sing karaoke with their customers? And why do some Communist Party cadres get promoted if they care for their elderly parents? In this entertaining and illuminating book, one of the few Westerners to teach at a Chinese university draws on his personal experiences to paint an unexpected portrait of a society undergoing faster and more sweeping changes than anywhere else on earth. With a storyteller’s eye for detail, Daniel Bell observes the rituals, routines, and tensions of daily life in China. China’s New Confucianism makes the case that as the nation retreats from communism, it is embracing a new Confucianism that offers a compelling alternative to Western liberalism.
Bell provides an insider’s account of Chinese culture and, along the way, debunks a variety of stereotypes. He presents the startling argument that Confucian social hierarchy can actually contribute to economic equality in China. He covers such diverse social topics as sex, sports, and the treatment of domestic workers. He considers the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, wondering whether Chinese overcompetitiveness might be tempered by Confucian civility. And he looks at education in China, showing the ways Confucianism impacts his role as a political theorist and teacher.
By examining the challenges that arise as China adapts ancient values to contemporary society, China’s New Confucianism enriches the dialogue of possibilities available to this rapidly evolving nation.
In a new preface, Bell discusses the challenges of promoting Confucianism in China and the West.
List Price: $ 19.95
Price: $ 13.97
Related China Products
Highly recommended,
Oxford-University educated political philosopher Daniel Bell is– as the reviewer above me mentioned– one of the foremost authorities working on contemporary Chinese political philosophy today. He is also very uniquely situated as the first Western scholar to teach on a longterm basis in the department of philosophy at China’s top university (Tsinghua University). In addition to Tsinghua, Bell has also taught at universities in Hong Kong and Singapore and is an extremely prolific writer– writing for both an academic as well as a general audience. Perhaps of greatest significance to me is that he is trilingual and fluent in Chinese.
With his impressive background in mind, I was expecting a lot from his work– and I was not disappointed.
I will echo that this particular book of Bell’s would be of great interest to anyone wanting to read more about contemporary Chinese society or politics. However, what I have found most stimulating about his work is his ability– and indeed his courage–to engage with the underlying philosophies that inform the issues. So often, when we read books about foreign-born philosophies (not just Confucianism, but Buddhist philosophy, daoism etc.) it seems that the authors feel compelled to present the philosophies only in such a way that maps on to our modern sensibilities. Of course, there is interest in seeing how, for example, Confucianism can be mapped on to American neo-liberal ideals, etc. That is fine. But, I think the lesser-traveled but more interesting and intellectually-stimulating route is to engage in the ideas (and their logical implications) as much as possible without filtering them through Western sensibilities. I mean, what in the end can we learn or take away from a Westernized view of Confucianism? I think this is precisely why Bell remains a somewhat controversial figure (online he remains my favorite cause célèbre on various China-related blogs!) precisely because he takes people out of their comfort zones (for example his chapter on karaoke).
The man thinks outside the box. And for that reason alone, I highly recommend this book (especially for readers who sincerely want to engage with ideas which might make them uncomfortable).
Along these lines– and similar to Parag Khanna’s work– Bell presents alternative models for developing countries. And, I would recommend reading his ideas regarding contemporary Chinese politics with democratic India and the Philippines in mind (for example). Like the reviewer at the top, in one sense I also found the work Beijing-centric. On the other hand, though, I also found his book to be surprisingly relevant to Japanese contemporary sensibilities. Japan and Korea are often cited as the great Confucian societies today. I have lived in Japan myself for 20 years and Bell’s book was surprisingly relevant to my experiences in Japan (I won’t speak about Korea as I have not spent enough time there)–this was particularly so in his chapter “Hierarchical Rituals and Egalitarian Society,” which I thought was the most interesting chapter in the entire book.
I highly recommend China’s New Confucianism and hope Bell will turn his attention to Japan someday as well.
Was this review helpful to you?
|Original and thought-provoking,
Recommended for anyone who wants to learn about society and politics in China. The author anticipated civility and Confucianism in the Olympics. If he’s right about the revival of Confucianism in politics, the book will be seen as groundbreaking. If not, it is still an original and thought-provoking account of how Confucianism shapes social life in China. And it’s a humane and progressive form of Confucianism: “left-Confucianism”, as the author puts it. The chapter on sex, singing, and civility is both shocking and plausible. My one qualm is the book seems a bit too “Beijing-centric”, the social and political scene may not look so “Confucian” outside the capital city.
Was this review helpful to you?
|An Interesting Read,
This is an interesting read. Daniel Bell attempts to show how Confucianism remains influential in contemporary China. The book is divided into three parts: politics, society and education. Two short essays(one on Yu Dan’s interpretation of the Analects, the other on Jiang Qing’s political Confucianism)are offered as appendixes.
Through the lens of Confucianism, Daniel Bell successfully recasts China as a country that is quite different from the one portrayed by most journalists in the West. On this, Bell’s account is refreshing. But this account remains unsatisfactory. At many points, Bell’s China is not really China but rather Beijing. One advantage of this book is that Bell’s views are often backed by his experiences in Beijing and therefore very easy to follow. From an academic point of view, however, this advantage is actually a significant disadvantage. Beijing, though the capital, is a regional cultural center at most. Other regional cultural centers include Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing/Chengdu and Xi’an, etc. So it remains unclear to what extent Confucianism is influential in these other regions and therefore in China as a culturally diverse country. Bell’s interpretation of Confucianism is interesting but lacks philosophical depth. My impression is that his interpretation is very well attuned to the immediate social and political reality in China. More often than not, he interprets certain Confucian texts (the Analects, the Mengzi and the Xunzi)to make sense of some practices in everyday life. This approach certainly enlivens the ancient texts but also runs the risk of eclipsing some other important features (like analogic reasoning and moral emotions)in Confucianism that are not directly related to but would ultimately shape social and political thoughts.
Full of witty remarks, this book is suitable for anyone who is interested in contemporary China.
Was this review helpful to you?
|