[KS] Introductory reading on Confucianism
Don Baker
dbaker at interchange.ubc.ca
Tue Jan 13 10:27:55 EST 2004
There is a good reason it is hard to find an undergraduate text which
explains the fundamentals of Confucianism in a Korean context.
Confucianism is too diverse to confine to a single textbook. What
sort of Confucianism are we talking about? Philosophical
Confucianism? Confucian approaches to history? Confucian concern for
ritual? Confucian proposals for government policies? Confucian ethics
and Confucian views of family life? A comprehensive account of
Confucianism in Korea should include all of that.
One way to introduce students to the historical development, as well
as the diversity, of Confucianism in Korea is the Sources of Korean
Tradition series, particularly the chapters in both volumes on the
Chosun dynasty plus the final chapter on Koryo. Almost all the
selections in the Chosun dynasty chapters were written by Koreans who
considered themselves Confucians.
--
Don Baker
Director, Centre for Korean Research
Associate Professor, Department of Asian Studies
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2 CANADA
604-822-4478
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