This article is from the archives of the UB Reporter.
News

Conference to examine revival
of Confucianism in China

By PATRICIA DONOVAN
Published: April 23, 2012

Noted scholars in philosophy, history and theology from across Asia, Europe and North America will gather at UB this weekend for “Beyond New Confucianism: Confucian Thought for Twenty-first Century China,” a conference that will examine the current revival of Confucianism and the roles this ancient philosophical tradition plays in contemporary Chinese culture.

The conference panels on April 27 and 28 are free and open to the public and will be held in the Honors College Colloquium Room, Oscar Silverman Library, 107 Capen Hall, North Campus.

The revival of Confucian thought, commonly known as “New Confucianism” (Xin Rujia), has been an important part of Chinese cultural life since the 1980s.

The conference was the brainchild of Tze-ki Hon, professor of history at Geneseo State College, and Kristin Stapleton, associate professor of history at UB, and director of the university’s Asian Studies Program.

“New Confucianism is a multifaceted movement that arose as scholars and others reflected on the value of the Confucian philosophical and political traditions in the context of China’s integration into the neo-liberal global economy,” says Hon.

“Participants in this movement include philosophers and scholars in several fields, as well as teachers, social activists and media personalities in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and in Chinese communities around the world.”

Despite its complex origins and global scope, New Confucianism tends to be understood narrowly in the West as a philosophical/religious enterprise with a strong emphasis on self-cultivation and moral metaphysics.

The conference goal, Stapleton says, is to broaden the scope of the study of New Confucianism by focusing on its political, social and cultural agendas. Grounded in a multidisciplinary approach and a global perspective, this event aims to shed new light on the current revival as it becomes part of the social and cultural fabric of 21st century China and the world.

For details about the conference program, contact Bruce Acker at backer@buffalo.edu or 645-0763, or visit the conference website.

“Beyond New Confucianism” is sponsored by the UB Confucius Institute with support from Geneseo State College, the UB Humanities Institute, the UB Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy, the UB Department of Philosophy and the UB Asian Studies Program.