Utopia in the revival of Confucian education : an ethnography of the classics-reading movement in contemporary China / by Sandra Gilgan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gilgan, Sandra, author.

Series:

China studies (Leiden, Netherlands) ; Volume 46.

China studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Chinese classics--Study and teaching--China.

Chinese classics.

Educational surveys--China.

Educational surveys.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (276 pages)

Place of Publication:

Leiden ; Boston : Brill, [2022]

Summary:

Sandra Gilgan’s Utopia in the Revival of Confucian Education examines the classics-reading movement in contemporary China as not only driven by attraction to certain elements of tradition, but even more by caesuras in the past that caused people to detach from their cultural roots. The author argues that activism in the classics-reading movement arises from an entanglement of past, present, and future. Social and political upheaval in the near past of the twentieth century caused people to disconnect from their traditional culture and ways of living, resulting in the present need to reconnect with perceived “original” culture and tradition from the more distant past. Through peoples’ imaginaries of a better future that are informed by past traditions, new ways of the past find entrance into life and education in study halls and academies. This new study draws on multi-sited ethnographic field research in ten Chinese cities, with the broadest database currently available. It combines theoretical elements from anthropology, history, sociology and sinology in a grounded theory approach. As an interdisciplinary study, the book is of interest for academics in Asian and Chinese studies, heritage and memory studies, religious studies, educational sciences, history, and cultural anthropology, as well as social and political sciences.

Contents:

Front Matter

Preliminary Material / Sandra Gilgan

Download PDF / Sandra Gilgan

Acknowledgements / Sandra Gilgan

Images and Tables / Sandra Gilgan

Restricted Access

Chapter 1 The Revival of Confucian Education in Study Halls and Academies / Sandra Gilgan

Chapter 2 Dynamics of Utopianism: Confucian Visions in Response to Social Problems / Sandra Gilgan

Chapter 3 Grounding Classics-Reading Education in Ideal Learning Environments / Sandra Gilgan

Chapter 4 Self-Cultivation and a Regulated Lifestyle in Study Halls and Academies / Sandra Gilgan

Chapter 5 The Movement’s Political Implications and Potential for Social Change / Sandra Gilgan

Back Matter

Appendix / Sandra Gilgan

References / Sandra Gilgan

Index / Sandra Gilgan.

Notes:

Utopia in the Revival of Confucian Education investigates the classics-reading movement in contemporary Chinese society by examining how people re-forge lost bonds with tradition in the revival of Confucian education and strive towards their ideal future, while seeking to overcome the problems of the present.

Includes bibliographical references.

Description based on print version record.

Other Format:

Print version: Gilgan, Sandra Utopia in the Revival of Confucian Education

ISBN:

9789004511651

Publisher Number:

10.1163/9789004511651 DOI