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Confucianism and the Chinese Self

Re-examining Max Weber’s China

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  • © 2017

Overview

Authors:
  1. Jack Barbalet

    1. Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia

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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)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xv
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Introduction

    • Jack Barbalet
    Pages 1-9

  3. China in Germany

    • Jack Barbalet
    Pages 11-49

  4. Confucianism

    • Jack Barbalet
    Pages 51-78

  5. Daoism

    • Jack Barbalet
    Pages 79-103

  6. Self-Interest

    • Jack Barbalet
    Pages 105-142

  7. Magic

    • Jack Barbalet
    Pages 143-182

  8. Capitalism

    • Jack Barbalet
    Pages 183-207

  9. Back Matter

    Pages 209-213
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Keywords

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.

Reviews

“The book is an interesting and reliable contribution to the discourses on contemporary Chinese sociology of religion; as a result, it is warmly recommended to all specialists in the field and to the general reader of Chinese culture, as well.” (Lehel Balogh, Religious Studies Review, Vol. 45 (2), June, 2019)

“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

  • Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia

    Jack Barbalet

About the author

Dr Jack Barbalet is Research Professor of Sociology in the Institute for Religion, Politics and Society at the Australian Catholic University, with past appointments in other Australian universities as well as Leicester University and Hong Kong Baptist University. A renowned Weber scholar, Barbalet also publishes extensively on the sociology of China. 

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

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