China Studies Research Centre, La Trobe University
2:30-4:00pm, Thursday 3 May
Room 318, Education 2, La Trobe University
Especially since Zhu Xi’s (1130-1200) commentaries on the classic Four Books became central to China’s state orthodoxy, educational curriculum and civil service examination system in 1241, his perspectives on Confucianism have dominated many people’s views of Confucianism – even when they oppose many of his interpretations. Looking more at the historical context for Zhu Xi’s ascendency within Daoxue (Learning of the Way) Confucianism provides a point of view different from the conventional 20th century philosophical rubric of “Neo-Confucianism.” Chinese scholarship since the early 1990s has significantly confirmed my approach to studying this transformation of Confucianism. Revisiting this issue, I hope to enhance the clarity and highlight the significance of my approach. This seminar will focus on the evolution of Daoxue Confucianism as seen through the eyes of Zhu Xi’s contemporaries.
About the Speaker
Hoyt Cleveland Tillman 田浩 is Professor of Chinese History in the School of International Letters and Cultures at Arizona State University. He is a leading international authority on the history of Confucianism in the Song, Jin and Yuan periods. At Harvard University, he earned a Ph.D. in History and East Asian Languages under the direction of Benjamin Schwartz and Ying-shih Yü. In 2000, he became the first Sinologist to be awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Prize (Humboldt-Forschungspreis) for his research contributions. He is an affiliated researcher at Peking University’s Center for Research on Ancient Chinese History. He has taught college and/or graduate courses at Peking University, Renmin University of China, National Taiwan University, Ludwig-Maxillian-Universitaet in Munich, and the University of Washington. He is currently a visiting scholar in the China Studies Research Centre.