The Varieties of Confucian Practice in the Taipei Confucius Temple

• Main Authors: Robert Ivan, 袁光譽
• Other Authors: 高雅寧
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/r6q22b

碩士 === 國立政治大學 === 宗教研究所 === 105 === This ethnographic work challenges the dominance of philosophical interpretations in the field of Confucian studies, and demonstrates the importance of the fieldwork based approach in the study of Confucianism for better understanding of this tradition, and its role in the society and in the lives of individuals. The author has adopted the lived religion approach, and, following participant observation in the classes on classical texts and in the rituals in the Taipei Confucius temple, analyses the worldviews and practices of different social actors, and their relationships to the Confucian tradition. The ethnographic data challenges clear distinctions between official and popular Confucianism and shows a variety of discourses and practices. On the one hand, the nationalist discourse identifies Confucianism with the Chinese national culture, and the thesis gives attention to the role of scholars and intellectuals in its propagation. However, despite the hegemony of this nationalist framework, which resulted in the Taipei Confucius temple becoming a symbolic battleground between China-centred and Taiwan-centred nationalism, other groups and individuals reinvent Confucianism in ways divergent from the nationalist interpretations. Moreover, the thesis describes complexity of interactions between these individuals and groups in the Taipei Confucius temple. Chapter 1 is the introduction, and presents the research questions, overview of secondary literature on Confucianism, theoretical framework, and methodology. Chapter 2 provides historical and social context of Confucianism in Taiwan, showing how the tradition has been continually reinvented and how the role of the Taipei Confucius temple in the society changed. Chapter 3 discusses the Classics for Families, which aim to foster close relationship between parents and children different from past emphasis of filial obedience. Chapter 4 describes the New Confucian study group on the Four Books with an emphasis on intellectualist and nationalist interpretations of the Classics. Chapter 5 focuses on ritual practice, and in addition to the Confucius birthday ceremony in September, gives attention to other rituals performed in the temple, including adulthood ceremonies, and various modes of individual and group worship. Chapter 6 is the conclusion and overviews directions for future fieldwork-based research on Confucianism.