Dear colleagues, 

Hope you are well. Please find attached a poster about an online talk, which may be of interest to some of you. Details are provided below as well. 

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Topic: Reclaiming tradition: Confucian activists as citizens in contemporary China

Date & Time: 1pm Wednesday 17^th April 2024 (BST)

Online via Microsoft Teams: 

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 374 209 705 221

Passcode: ngtRFi

Venue: Room 218, Mithras House, Moulsecoomb Campus, Brighton

Speaker: Dr Canglong Wang

Abstract: This presentation is based on a recent publication, which 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 a qualitative research strategy, the study 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 identify and 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 characterization 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’.

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Best wishes,