Li Zehou and Modern New Confucianism : two distinct views on history and modernization of China

Rošker, Jana S. (author)

This paper aims to provide a comparative analysis of the philosophies of Li Zehou and Modern New Confucianism in terms of their perspectives on the history and modernity of China. Li Zehou’s philosophy is widely recognized for its significant contribution to contemporary global philosophy and ethics. However, his ideas also reveal some unique characteristics of his Chinese modernization theory that are not very well known in the Western world. Similarly, the philosophy of Modern New Confucianism cannot be overlooked when discussing the Sinophone philosophy of the latter half of the 20th century. By comparing the theories and approaches of these two prominent Chinese discourses, this paper seeks to identify the similarities and differences between their respective perspectives on the history and modernity of China. This comparative analysis will shed light on the distinctive features of these two important Chinese philosophical systems and offer insights into the development of Chinese thought in the contemporary global context.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Li Zehou, Modern New Confucianism, Chinese modernization, Confucian historiography
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: Str. 225–237
• Numbering: Vol. 36, no. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-169798
• UDC: 1(510)
• ISSN on article: 0955-2367
• DOI: 10.1080/09552367.2025.2516318
• COBISS.SI-ID: 239066115
• Publication date in RUL: 11.06.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Asian philosophy
• Shortened title: Asian philos.
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• ISSN: 0955-2367
• COBISS.SI-ID: 3070818

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: Li Zehou, kitajska modernizacija, moderno novo konfucijanstvo, kitajska idejna zgodovina

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P6-0243
• Name: Azijski jeziki in kulture

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: J6-50202
• Name: Konfucijanski preporod in njegov vpliv na sodobne vzhodnoazijske družbe skozi prizmo odnosa med individuumom in družbo