The Transnational Realities of an Ancient Tradition

Catalog description

This course traces the global development of Confucianism as religious, political, and cultural traditions from the eighteenth century to the twentieth-first century. Confucianism has taken a strong hold in East Asia for centuries, and it has also been having significant impact in Southeast Asia, especially in Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia, and today in North America as well. By examining textual, historical, and ethnographic data, this course focuses on the most recent developments of Confucianism as a religious and ritual tradition in diverse societies, while taking into account its cultural and political impact on global modernity.