In this episode, we are joined by Mark Csikszentmihalyi, Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures and Eliaser Chair of International Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and a leading scholar of early Chinese thought. Our conversation draws on his new book, Confucius: A New Tradition (Reaktion Books, 2026), and its striking portrayal of Confucius as a “ritual prodigy.” Through several passages from Book 10 of the Analects, we explore what ritual expertise involves, whether moral and practical wisdom can be innate, and how seemingly minor details of dress and conduct express or instantiate important social and ethical values. We also discuss Confucius’s participation in an exorcism ritual, changing interpretations of ghosts and spirits, and the famous story of Confucius’s reaction to the burning of his horse stables. Along the way, we consider how successive biographies and commentaries have continually reconstructed Confucius to address new philosophical and historical concerns. Continue reading →
Category Archives: Han Dynasty
Book of Interest: In Pursuit of the Great Peace: Han Dynasty Classicism and the Making of Early Medieval Literati Culture
A new book by professor Zhao Lu from NYU has came out. For more details, please see the publisher page and below.
Body and Cosmos in China: An Interdisciplinary Symposium in Honor of Nathan Sivin
The Department of East Asian Languages & Civilizations at the University of Pennsylvania is delighted to announce an interdisciplinary symposium in honor of Nathan Sivin at Perry World House, 3803 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104, on Oct. 14-15, 2017.
The symposium is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required. Just click here if you’d like to attend:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/body-and-cosmos-in-china-an-interdisciplinary-symposium-in-honor-of-nathan-sivin-tickets-37455848451.
New Book: Translation of Chunqiu Fanlu
A major new book is about to be released: the 704-page Luxuriant Gems of the Spring and Autumn (春秋繁露), attributed to Dong Zhongshu; edited and translated by Sarah A. Queen and John S. Major (Columbia University Press). This is a tremendous accomplishment, and should help to further open up post-classical philosophy to broader attention and analysis.
Ziporyn’s Beyond Oneness and Difference Published
The second volume of Brook Ziporyn’s new work on li and coherence in pre-Neo-Confucian Chinese thought has been published. See below for summary and Table of Contents for both volumes.
Friday’s Neo-Confucianism Seminar at Columbia
The next session of the Columbia University Seminar on Neo-Confucian Studies will convene on Friday, March 1, 2013, from 3:30 to 5:30pm. We will meet in the Board Room on the first floor of the Heyman Center for the Humanities at Columbia University. Please note the earlier starting time.
Our presenter for this session is Deborah Sommer of the Department of Religious Studies at Gettysburg College. Her paper is titled “The Body of Confucius in Han Apocrypha.” The paper was originally scheduled for November 2012 but was postponed due to Hurricane Sandy. Please contact one of the organizers if you would like a copy.
Nov. 2 Neo-Confucianism Seminar
Our thoughts go out to those in the New York area recovering from Hurricane Sandy! Happily, the lights stayed on in Middletown where I live, though 650,000 people are without power in Connecticut and many more in New York, New Jersey, and beyond.
Update, 10/31: The Nov. 2 Seminar has been cancelled, and will be re-scheduled at a later date.
The next session of the Columbia University Seminar on Neo-Confucian Studies will convene on Friday, November 2 from 3:30 to 5:30pm. We will meet in the Common Room in the Heyman Center for the Humanities at Columbia University. Please note the earlier starting time.
Our presenter for this session is Deborah Sommer. Her paper is titled “The Body of Confucius in Han Apocrypha.” A copy of her paper can be obtained from any of the Co-Chairs (see below).
