Legitimacy, the Chinese Communist Party and Confucius

This book explores the use of Confucianism by the Chinese Communist Party in its assertion of political legitimacy. Confucian thought offers an enduring framework for political legitimacy in East Asian societies, including China. All states strive to acquire legitimacy, and despite once denouncing Confucianism as the remnants of feudal poison, the Party is turning towards Confucianism as part of its legitimation efforts. This suggests that the Party is suffering from an ideological void in terms of legitimacy and legitimation due to the diminishing relevance of Marxism in Chinese societal practices. The book will devise a non-liberal legitimacy framework, drawing on the ideas of Habermas and Bernard Williams, to examine the legitimacy of the Party, and use an analysis of the elite discourse to determine the nature of the Confucian turn, in a sharp polemic that will interest scholars of Chinese politics, of the role of traditional beliefs in Asian modernity, and in China's future.

explores the role of Confucianism in contemporary China identifies the legitimacy issues facing the CCP provides a new rubric for Chinese politics

Auteur
Dr Wai Kong Ng is currently a Visiting Researcher at Newcastle University, England. After a successful career in business, he returned to academia to pursue a long-held interest in Chinese politics. He passed his MA in International Politics with Distinction at Newcastle University, before completing his doctorate in Politics at the University of Leeds.

Contenu

Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: Legitimacy and Legitimation Theoretical Framework.- Chapter 3: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives of Legitimacy in the Chinese Context.- Chapter 4: The Legacy of the Liberation, 1949-Present: A Country and Party in Transition.- Chapter 5: Contemporary Legitimacy Issues of the CPC.- Chapter 6: Main Strands of Confucianism.- Chapter 7: The Nature of The Confucian Turn: Part 1.- Chapter 8: The Nature of The Confucian Turn: Part 2.- Chapter 9: A Viable Legitimation Story Based on Confucian Democracy.- Chapter 10: Conclusion.

<p