Title

Why study the Chinese classics and how to go about it?

Publication Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

1-2011

Abstract

This response to Zongjie Wu's "Interpretation, autonomy, and interpretation" focuses on the "battle between East and West" which contextualizes Wu's proposal to counter the current Western domination of Chinese pedagogic discourse with an "authentic language" recovered from the Chinese classics. It points out that it is impossible and undesirable to reject all Western influences. The dualistic opposition between East and West over-simplifies and blinds one to the complexity of China's history and culture, and unnecessarily limits future possibilities. It challenges Wu's conflation of Confucianism and Daoism and his claim that the authentic "language of "Tao"" recovered from the "Analects" is a language "pointing to the nameless". The response concludes with an alternative Deweyan account of how to make Chinese education authentic.

Discipline

Arts and Humanities

Research Areas

Humanities

Publication

Journal of Curriculum Studies

Volume

43

Issue

5

First Page

623

Last Page

630

ISSN

0022-0272

Publisher

Taylor & Francis (Routledge): SSH Titles

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