Moral Education and Ideology: The Revival of Confucian Values and the Harmonious Shaping of the New Chinese Man

Abstract

In this paper, we will investigate the re-emergence of Confucianism in contemporary China as a complex intersection of political, cultural, educational and popular perspectives. This resurgence is neither a kind of Chinese Neoclassicism nor a nostalgic backwardness, instead it is the emblem of the new China’s identity. Confucius and Confucianism, violently despised as the remains of feudalism since the May Fourth Movement and during Maoism, are nowadays a fertile source for the fulfilment of “Socialism with Chinese characteristics” (zhongguo tese shehui zhuyi 中国特色社会主义) on both the educational and political levels. We carry out the investigation in three steps: 1. The political rehabilitation of Confucianism as part of the “Chinese dream” (zhongguo meng 中国梦); 2. The common social perception of Confucianism and tradition as a shared and unavoidable background; 3. The definition of two possible Confucianisms (namely New Confucianism and Political Confucianism) and their possible influences on Chinese society and moral education. Our conclusions will deal with Chinese cultural soft power, and the shaping of a new Confucian identity based on both modernity and tradition.

Exploring the Influence of the Chinese Spokesperson’s Speech: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Foreign Ministry’s Press Conference

“…Instead, Neo-Confucianism, core socialist values, and the Chinese Dream are regarded as more up-to-date ideologies that guide Chinese values. Traditional Confucianism is no longer regarded by many scholars as a harmful and backward relic of feudalism, but rather a new source of legitimacy and a potential way of identifying China's unique political system [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]. Thus, this research will proceed in line with studies of Neo-Confucianism, core socialism, and Chinese Dream values, which will be introduced below.…”

Usporedba europske i azijske odgojno-obrazovne tradicije i njihova važnost u suvremenom kontekstu

“…Konfucijanska je misao snažno utjecala na razvoj kineske kulture, a posebno na zemlje poput Vijetnama, Singapura, Koreje, Japana i dijelova Kine (Hong Kong, Peking, Šangaj), koje su zbog dijeljenja zajedničkih obilježja dobile naziv »kulture konfucijanske baštine« (Phuong-Mai, Terlouw, Pilot, 2005;Kim, 2009;Marginson, 2011;Xiong, 2011;Tan, 2017). Zadnjih nekoliko desetljeća, u potonjim se kulturama sve više govori o revitalizaciji konfucijanskih vrijednosti u odgoju i obrazovanju kao svojevrsnom otporu zapadnjačkim ideologijama te kao odgovoru na globalni trend hiperspecijalizacije visokog obrazovanja (Billioud, Thoraval, 2008;Xiong, 2011;Yang, 2016;Kwak, Kato, Hung, 2016;Ambrogio, 2017). Jiang navodi da se u području visokog obrazovanja povratak konfucijanskim vrijednostima najviše očituje u sve većoj usmjerenosti sveučilišta prema društvenim i humanističkim znanostima (engl.…”

“…Na pitanje može li se povratak konfucijanskim vrijednostima shvatiti kao svojevrstan otpor zapadnjačkim ideologijama potaknut političkim kampanjama zadnjih dvaju predsjednika, Hua Jintaoa i Xija Jinpinga, ili je to izraz masovnog fenomena koji je već ukorijenjen u društvu, Ambrogio nudi vlastiti odgovor. U istraživanju koje je proveo, pokazalo se da se konfucijanizam kao politički proces odbacuje, dok se kao moralna praksa i društveni regulator još uvijek cijeni (Ambrogio, 2017). To pokazuje da konfucijanizam nije samo skup uvjerenja ili vrijednosti koje se biraju nego i stil života koji je duboko ukorijenjen u kulturi življenja u jugoistočnoj Aziji.…”

Doing Things with Metaphors in Contemporary China Analysing the Use of Creative Metaphors in the Discourse on the Chinese Dream

“…The second reason is tightly bound to the role that Chinese culture has acquired in contemporary China since Xi took the reins of the Party and the Country (Scarpari 2015, Ambrogio 2017. The key part played by traditional culture in the discourse on the Chinese dream is clear from the title of the chapter devoted to Chinese culture.…”