Asian Journal of Criminology - Special Issue on "Restorative Justice in Greater China" (forthcoming)

China has the largest and most diverse restorative justice programs in the world. Confucius, who believed in healing and reconciliation rather than punishment and litigation is regarded as the most influential restorative philosopher. The study of Chinese history seizes one key to a macro-sociological understanding of restorative justice. However, we have obtained far less sufficient and systematic knowledge of this giant project so far. Restorative justice in Chinese societies is still the “elephant in the living room”. Therefore, we organize this special issue on restorative justice in Greater China which is a timely endeavor that aims to push the study of restorative in Chinese societies to a new era.

This forthcoming special issue is co-edited by Prof. John Braithwaite of the Australia National University, Prof. Jianhong Liu of the University of Macau and Dr. Yan (Ian) Zhang of the Australian National University. Eight articles are projected which engage leading restorative justice and legal-social scholars from Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, and the US. The topics selected are covering a variety of frontier themes of restorative justice in Chinese contexts, ranging from environmental justice, local governance, drug rehabilitation, Confucianism, reintegrative shaming, and juvenile delinquency. This special issue will enrich our understanding of RJ in Chinese societies and contribute to the existing RJ literature, empirically and theoretically.

Any questions may be directed to the editors at ian.zhang@anu.edu.au (this opens in a new tab).