William Theodore De Bary

Richard John Lufrano

A collection of primary readings on the social, intellectual, and religious traditions of China, this text provides a resource for scholars and students and an introduction for general readers.

Sources of Chinese Tradition

Wm. Theodore De Bary

"Wm. Theodore de Bary offers a selection of essential readings from his immensely popular anthologies Sources of Chinese Tradition, Sources of Korean Tradition, and Sources of Japanese Tradition so readers can experience a concise but no less comprehensive portrait of the social, intellectual, and religious traditions of East Asia."--

Sources of East Asian Tradition: The modern period

Wm. Theodore de Bary

Since the horrific Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, the debate on human rights in China has raged on with increasing volume and shifting context, but little real progress. In this provocative book, one of our most learned scholars of China moves beyond the political shouting match, informing and contextualizing this debate from a Confucian and a historical perspective. "Asian Values" is a concept advanced by some authoritarian regimes to differentiate an Asian model of development, supposedly based on Confucianism, from a Western model identified with individualism, liberal democracy, and human rights. Highlighting the philosophical development of Confucianism as well as the Chinese historical experience with community organization, constitutionalism, education, and women's rights, Wm. Theodore de Bary argues that while the Confucian sense of personhood differs in some respects from Western libertarian concepts of the individual, it is not incompatible with human rights, but could, rather, enhance them. De Bary also demonstrates that Confucian communitarianism has historically resisted state domination, and that human rights in China could be furthered by a genuine Confucian communitarianism that incorporates elements of Western civil society. With clarity and elegance, Asian Values and Human Rights broadens our perspective on the Chinese human rights debate.

A Confucian Communitarian Perspective

Asian Values and Human Rights

Irene Bloom

The essays gathered here, in addition to those by editors Wm. Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloob, are written by leading scholars of Asian cultures--among them Donald Keene, Peter Awn, Barbara Stoler Miller, Ainslie Embree, Burton Watson, C.T. Hsia, Paul Anderer, and others. They introduce classics from the Islamic, Indian, Chinese, and Japanese traditions, providing entree to texts which have emerged as monuments of Asian thought and literature. Among the works discussed are the Qu'ran, the philosophy of history of Ibn Khaldun, the Upanishads, the epic Mahabarata, the philosopher Mencius, the Lotus Sutra, T'and Poetry, the Tale of Genji, and the poet Basho.

Approaches to the Asian Classics

Eastern Canons

This volume adds to our understanding of the development of Neo-Confucianism - its complexity, diversity, richness, and depth as a major component of the moral and spiritual fibre of the peoples of East Asia.

Neo-Confucian Orthodoxy and the Learning of the Mind-and-Heart

Zongxi Huang

Since the time of Confucius and Mencius, no other work has stood out so clearly as a major critique of Chinese dynastic institutions. In a lucid translation with a helpful introduction by de Bary, this is the most powerful affirmation of a liberal Confucian political vision in premodern times.

A Plan for the Prince

Waiting for the Dawn

William Theodore DE BARY

De Bary constructs a magisterial overview of three thousand years of East Asian civilizations, principally in the form of dialogues among the major systems of thought that have dominated the Asian world's historical development.

A Dialogue in Five Stages

East Asian Civilizations

This is an essential, all-access guide to the core texts of East Asian civilisation and culture. Chapters address frequently read, foundational texts in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese, as well as early modern fictional classics and non-fiction works of the seventeenth century. Building strong links between these writings and the critical traditions of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, the book shows the vital role of the classics in the shaping of Asian history and in the development of the humanities at large.

Finding Wisdom in East Asian Classics

In Singapore, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and other parts of East and Southeast Asia, as well as China, people are asking, What does Confucianism have to offer today? For some, Confucius is still the symbol of a reactionary and repressive past; for others, he is the humanist admired by generations of scholars and thinkers, East and West, for his ethical system and discipline. In the face of such complications, only a scholar of Theodore de Bary's stature could venture broad answers to the question of the significance of Confucianism in today's world.

The Trouble with Confucianism

Richard Lane

Saikaku Ibara

Yoshida Hambei

Ihara Saikaku. Five women who loved (Kōshoku gonin onna, engl.).

From Margaret Mead and Zora Neale Hurston to Lionel Trilling and Lou Gehrig, Columbia University has been home to some of the most important historians, scientists, critics, artists, physicians, and social scientists of the twentieth century. (It can also boast a hall-of-fame athlete.) In Living Legacies at Columbia, contributors with close personal ties to their subjects capture Columbia's rich intellectual history. Essays span the birth of genetics and modern anthropology, constitutionalism from John Jay to Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Virginia Apgar's test, Lou Gehrig's swing, journalism education, black power, public health, the development of Asian studies, the Great Books Movement, gender studies, human rights, and numerous other realms of teaching and discovery. They include Eric Foner on historian Richard Hoftstader, Isaac Levi and Sidney Hook on John Dewey, David Rosand on art historian Meyer Schapiro, John Hollander on critic Mark Van Doren, Donald Keene on Asian studies, Jacques Barzun on history, Eric Kandel on geneticist Thomas Hunt Morgan, and Rosalind Rosenberg on Franz Boas and his three most famous pupils: Ruth Benedict, Margaret Mead, and Zora Neale Hurston. Much more than an institutional history, Living Legacies captures the spirit of a great university through the stories of gifted men and women who have worked, taught, and studied at Columbia. It includes stories of struggle and breakthrough, searching and discovery, tradition and transformation.

Living Legacies at Columbia

Finding Wisdom in East Asian Classics is an essential, all-access guide to the core texts of East Asian civilization and culture. Essays address frequently read, foundational texts in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese, as well as early modern fictional classics and nonfiction works of the seventeenth century. Building strong links between these writings and the critical traditions of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, this volume shows the vital role of the classics in the shaping of Asian history and in the development of the humanities at large. Wm. Theodore de Bary focuses on texts that have survived for centuries, if not millennia, through avid questioning and contestation. Recognized as perennial reflections on life and society, these works represent diverse historical periods and cultures and include the Analects of Confucius, Mencius, Laozi, Xunxi, the Lotus Sutra, Tang poetry, the Pillow Book, The Tale of Genji, and the writings of Chikamatsu and Kaibara Ekken. Contributors explain the core and most commonly understood aspects of these works and how they operate within their traditions. They trace their reach and reinvention throughout history and their ongoing relevance in modern life. With fresh interpretations of familiar readings, these essays inspire renewed appreciation and examination. In the case of some classics open to multiple interpretations, de Bary chooses two complementary essays from different contributors. Expanding on debates concerning the challenges of teaching classics in the twenty-first century, several pieces speak to the value of Asia in the core curriculum. Indispensable for early scholarship on Asia and the evolution of global civilization, Finding Wisdom in East Asian Classics helps one master the major texts of human thought.

In Sources of East Asian Tradition, Wm. Theodore de Bary offers a selection of essential readings from his immensely popular anthologies Sources of Chinese Tradition, Sources of Korean Tradition, and Sources of Japanese Tradition so readers can experience a concise but no less comprehensive portrait of the social, intellectual, and religious traditions of East Asia. Volume 1 samples writings from the earliest times to 1600, illuminating life in early China and the first imperial age, as well as the profound impact of Daoism, Buddhism, the Confucian revival, and Neo-Confucianism; the origins of Korean culture and political structures, up through the Choson dynasty; and major developments in early and medieval Japan. De Bary maintains his trademark balance of source materials, including seminal readings in the areas of history, society, politics, education, philosophy, and religion, thereby continuing his own tradition of providing an exceptional resource for teachers, scholars, students, and the general reader.

William Theodore De Bary

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