Confucianism, Democratization, and Human Rights in Taiwan

Fetzer, Joel; Soper, J

ISBN 10: 149850325X / ISBN 13: 9781498503259

Edité par Lexington Books (edition ), 2014

A propos de cet article

It's a well-cared-for item that has seen limited use. The item may show minor signs of wear. All the text is legible, with all pages included. It may have slight markings and/or highlighting.

N° de réf. du vendeur 149850325X-8-1

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Confucianism, Democratization, and Human Rights in Taiwan
• Éditeur: Lexington Books (edition )
• Date de parution: 2014
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 149850325X
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9781498503259
• Reliure: Paperback
• État de l'article: Very Good

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

Responding to the "Asian values" debate over the compatibility of Confucianism and liberal democracy, Confucianism, Democratization, and Human Rights in Taiwan, by Joel S. Fetzer and J. Christopher Soper, offers a rigorous, systematic investigation of the contributions of Confucian thought to democratization and the protection of women, indigenous peoples, and press freedom in Taiwan. Relying upon a unique combination of empirical analysis of public opinion surveys, legislative debates, public school textbooks, and interviews with leading Taiwanese political actors, this essential study documents the changing role of Confucianism in Taiwan's recent political history. While the ideology largely bolstered authoritarian rule in the past and played little role in Taiwan's democratization, the belief system is now in the process of transforming itself in a pro-democratic direction. In contrast to those who argue that Confucianism is inherently authoritarian, the authors contend that Confucianism is capable of multiple interpretations, including ones that legitimate democratic forms of government. At both the mass and the elite levels, Confucianism remains a powerful ideology in Taiwan despite or even because of the island's democratization. Borrowing from Max Weber's sociology of religion, the writers provide a distinctive theoretical argument for how an ideology like Confucianism can simultaneously accommodate itself to modernity and remain faithful to its core teachings as it decouples itself from the state. In doing so, Fetzer and Soper argue, Confucianism is behaving much like Catholicism, which moved from a position of ambivalence or even opposition to democracy to one of full support. The results of this study have profound implications for other Asian countries such as China and Singapore, which are also Confucian but have not yet made a full transition to democracy.

À propos de l?auteur

Joel S. Fetzer is professor of political science at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.