Description

When looking at Confucian thought in China, we will be looking primarily at the question of social order.  We will be looking at how China contends with religious pluralism including the extreme hostility towards Falun Gong (which has aroused huge controversy, despite syncretic thought, using Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, having long been a pragmatic and seamless feature of Chinese life). Is religion a challenge towards the state?  We will also touch on the idea of what a Confucian foreign policy might look like.

Required readings

Bell, Daniel (2008) China’s New Confucianism: politics and everyday life in a changing society. Princeton, NJ.: Princeton University Press. (available

as an ebook)

Further readings

The classical thought of Confucius is in his Analects of Confucius (East Bridgewater: Signature, 2008 – among many editions).

On the difficulties of talking about ‘Chinese culture’:
Dirlik, Arif (2006) ‘Timespace, social space, and the question of Chinese Culture’, Monumenta Serica, 54: 417-433 (link)

On the idea of Asian values:

Jenco, Leigh (2013) ‘Revisiting Asian Values’, Journal of the History of Ideas, 74(2): 237-258. (link).

You can also take a look at the special issue of the European Journal on Political Theory on Confucianism that she edited (Introduction here: link)

On the idea of a Daoist Chinese foreign policy,

Ling, L.H.M. (2019) ‘Three-ness: Healing world politics with epistemic compassion’, Politics, 39(1): 35-49. (link)

On Falun Gong:

Tong, James (2002) ‘An Organizational Analysis of the Falun Gong: Structure, Communications, Financing’, The China Quarterly, 171: 636-660. (link)
Is religion a threat to the stability of the Chinese state? Discuss with reference to EITHER Falun Gong OR Islamic communities in China

Solution

Religion and China’s Stability: A case study of the Falun Gong Religion

Religion is an important aspect of a state. The interplay of religion and the state has existed for centuries; for instance, in the Roman Empire, the politics were highly influenced by Catholicism (Fox, 2015). In the modern world, religion continues to influence the government. According to Ashiwa and Wank (2009), different religion has their ties in government regimes, for instance, in the Middle East countries, Islam affects most of their policies, for example, gender roles are highly defined by the Islamic teachings. The influence of religion on the state can be beneficial for a state. According to Sandal and Fox (2013), a government which supports the majority religion gains legitimacy by the public; for instance, in India, leaders who abide by the Buddhism are perceived as more legitimate than those who follow other religions. However, religion can also be a cause of instability in a state. Sandal and James (2011) argue that when there is a religious conflict, the conflict tends to spread into the nation, causing disunity; for instance, the persecution of Jews by Hitler. On this note, this paper will evaluate the case of the Falun Gong religion in China. China is the fastest-growing economy and may soon become the most powerful nation. However, unlike the Western nation, China has its own set of beliefs, practices, and values. These traits set China aside from the normal democratic practices followed by Western nations such as America, the United Kingdom, and France. Therefore, the religious practice adopted by China will influence…………….Kindly click the purchase icon above to buy full solution at $15