A new article by Bryan W. Van Norden at The National Interest.
Category Archives: Political Theory
El Amine Reviews Kim, Confucian Democracy in East Asia
Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
2015.02.31 View this Review Online View Other NDPR Reviews
Sungmoon Kim, Confucian Democracy in East Asia: Theory and Practice, Cambridge University Press, 2014, 321pp., $29.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781107641211.
Reviewed by Loubna El Amine, Georgetown University
Sungmoon Kim’s book offers an important and passionate defense of democracy, especially as it applies to East Asian countries. It moves the current debate on the topic from the question of whether democracy is relevant to, and compatible with, the East Asian context, to the question of “the particular mode of Confucian democracy” that is suitable for East Asia (247). In other words, the starting premise of Kim’s inquiry is the simple fact that democracy does already exist in that part of the world, including in South Korea, Taiwan, and (“arguably,” according to Kim), in Hong Kong (247). The question then is, what form of democracy does, will, and should work in East Asia?
Confucian Political Philosophy a Hot Topic in 2014
According to the Guangming Daily, “the interpretation of Confucian political philosophy” was one of the ten “hot” areas within Chinese academia in 2014. According to the newspaper’s staff, one of the key questions that scholars sought to answer was “What conceptual resources does the Confucian tradition have that can assist with the design of institutions in today’s China 儒家传统对今日中国之制度设计有哪些可资借鉴的思想资源？” For those with Chinese, some more details, and the other nine hot areas, are below. (It is item 3 on the list.)
HKU Forum on Umbrella Movement
This Forum, featuring five Hong Kong University faculty (ncluding philosophers and political theorists) is well-worth watching!
New Book: Patriotism in East Asia
Jun-Hyeok Kwak (Soongsil University; website here) writes:
I am very pleased to inform you that Patriotism in East Asia in the Routledge Series of Political Theories in East Asia has just been published. Please
find the website here in case you are interested. This volume contributes to the debates surrounding patriotism and nationalism in East Asia, and investigates the feasibility of non-enthnocentric patriotism in countries across the region.
New Book: Democracy in Contemporary Chinese Thought
Excuse the lack of modesty, but I’d like to announce the publication of my new book, Democracy in Contemporary Confucian Philosophy.
Columbia Society for Comparative Philosophy lecture by Joseph Chan: “Confucianism and Democracy: Uneasy Marriage or Productive Partnership?” on Friday, April 18th @5:30pm
THE COLUMBIA SOCIETY FOR COMPARATIVE PHILOSOPHY
Welcomes: JOSEPH CHAN (University of Hong Kong)
With responses from: WARREN FRISINA (Hofstra University)
Please join us on Friday, April 18 at 5:30PM for his lecture entitled:
“Confucianism and Democracy: Uneasy Marriage or Productive Partnership?”
Abstract: Since the very beginning, Confucianism has been troubled by a serious gap between its political ideals and the reality of societal circumstances. Continue reading →
Looking for a Specialist
A colleague of someone I know wonders who might be able and willing to contribute a chapter in a Routledge volume on Asian political thought on any of the following topics:
Confucianism beyond China
Ming Patriots (Critical Confucianism)
Buddhist Political Thought around Asia
Please contact me (mim@fairfield.edu) if you or someone you know qualifies. Cheers.
