Overview

Confucianism as Religion tackles the perennially controversial question of whether Confucianism is a religion. After surveying the epistemological difficulties in both Chinese and Western scholarship in addressing the controversy over Confucian religiosity, Yong Chen convincingly reveals the sociopolitical and cultural stakes that are deeply entangled with the controversy. He brings the issue to the scrutiny of the latest theoretical constructions in religious studies and anthropology and, by defying Wilfred C. Smith’s claim that it is a question that the West has never been able to answer and China never been able to ask, proposes a holistic and contextual approach to the question about the religious status of Confucianism.

Full Product Details

Author:   Yong Chen
Publisher:   Brill
Imprint:   Brill
Volume:   5
Dimensions:   Width: 15.50cm , Height: 2.80cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.481kg
ISBN:  

9789004243736

ISBN 10:   9004243739
Pages:   208
Publication Date:   08 November 2012
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Problems and Ambiguity Surrounding the Question of Confucian Religiosity 1. The Epistemological Problem: Transculturing the Term Religion 2. The Linguistic Ambiguity of Terms: Rujia, Rujiao, Ruxue 3. Values and Implications in the Discourse on Confucian Religiosity Chapter 2: Historical Discussions on the Question of Confucian Religiosity 1. Kang Youwei and the Kongjiao Controversy 2. The Resurrection of the Controversy: Context, Agenda, and Rhetoric 3. Western Scholarship on Confucian Religiosity Chapter 3: Epistemological Significance on the Controversy over Confucian Religiosity 1. The Pragmatic Turn in Defining Religion 2. Definability of Confuciansim in Terms of Religion 3. Epistemological Significance of the Controversy Chapter 4: Cultural and Historical Significance of the Controversy over Confucian Religiosity 1. Fractured Continuity between Tradition and Modernity 2. The New Confucian Approach to the Question on Confucian Religiosity 3. The New Confucian Approach to the Problem of Modernity 4. The Theoretical Limitation of New Confucianism 5. Engaging Tradition in Post-Confucian Paradigms 6. Jiang Qing as a Confucian Religion Maker

Reviews

[Chen's way of looking] at the debate over Confucian religiousness provides a way toward understanding the existential condition of the Chinese people in modern times and the obsession of Chinese intellectuals with the conundrum of tradition and modernity. Christian Jochim, San Jose State University, Review of Religion and Chinese Society 2.2 (2015)

Author Information

Yong Chen , PhD (2005), Vanderbilt University, is Research Professor of Chinese philosophy and religion at El Colegio de Mexico. He has published a number of articles on contemporary Confucianism, including ""Renewing Confucianism as a Living Tradition in 21st Century China.""

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