Confucianism, Democratization, and Human Rights in Taiwan
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Description
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.
ISBN
0739173006^0739173014^9780739173008^9780739173015
Publication Date
2013
Publisher
Lexington Books; 1 edition
Disciplines
Political Science | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Fetzer, Joel S. and Sopher, J. Christopher, "Confucianism, Democratization, and Human Rights in Taiwan" (2013). Political Science Faculty Books. 19.
https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/polscibooks/19