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Re-assesses Max Weber’s celebrated sociology of China in the wake of political and economic upheavals and transformations in the region
Debates the role of the individual in Confucian thought and practice and the subordination, in China, of the individual to the interests of the political community
Provides new insights into Weber’s Religion of China in East Asia today, against the background of the rise of modern capitalism
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Table of contents (7 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
About this book
Setting the context for the upheavals and transformations of contemporary China, this text provides a re-assessment of Max Weber’s celebrated sociology of China. Returning to the sources drawn on by Weber in The Religion of China: Confucianism and Taoism, it offers an informed account of the Chinese institutions discussed and a concise discussion of Weber’s writings on ‘the rise of modern capitalism’. Notably it subjects Weber’s argument to critical scrutiny, arguing that he drew upon sources which infused the central European imagination of the time, constructing a sense of China in Europe, whilst European writers were constructing a particular image of imperial China and its
Confucian framework. Re-examining Weber’s discussion of the role of the individual in Confucian thought and the subordination, in China, of the interests of the individual to those of the political community and the ancestral clan, this book offers a cutting edge contribution to the continuing debate on Weber’s RoC in East Asia today, against the background of the rise of modern capitalism in the “little dragons” of Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea, and the “big dragons” of Japan and the People’s Republic of China.Keywords
- Sociology of China
- Capitalism in China
- Confucian Thought
- Rise of Modern Capitalism in Asia
- Weber's Sociology of China
Reviews
“Max Weber's fascination with China has been well documented … . It is a must read for both Weber scholars and China specialists, and will be of great interest to comparative-historical sociologists. Summing Up: Essential. Graduate students/faculty.” (J. Li, Choice, Vol. 55 (9), May, 2018)
Authors and Affiliations
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Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia
Jack Barbalet
About the author
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Confucianism and the Chinese Self
Book Subtitle: Re-examining Max Weber’s China
Authors: Jack Barbalet
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6289-6
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Singapore
eBook Packages: Religion and Philosophy, Philosophy and Religion (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017
Hardcover ISBN: 978-981-10-6288-9Published: 18 October 2017
Softcover ISBN: 978-981-13-4849-5Published: 11 December 2018
eBook ISBN: 978-981-10-6289-6Published: 05 October 2017
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XV, 213
Topics: Non-Western Philosophy, Social Theory, Political Philosophy, History of China