Confucianism and Chinese philosophy through the eyes of western scholarship : problems and solutions

Rošker, Jana S. (author)

This paper critically examines the challenges and methodological problems in Western interpretations of Confucianism and Chinese philosophy in general. It argues that many such studies are shaped by unreflective Western epistemological assumptions, rooted in historically specific paradigms and power relations. To overcome these limitations, the author advocates for a transcultural methodological framework that problematizes the alleged incommensurability of culturally conditioned worldviews and seeks to transcend the binary oppositions of “East” and “West”. The paper discusses the persistence of Ori-entalist and Eurocentric tendencies in Sinology and the emergence of reverse Orientalism within contemporary Chinese scholarship. It contends that both discourses are bound to unequal global power structures and that a genuine understanding of Confucian philos-ophy requires a dialectical approach that critically reflects on these asymmetries while avoiding the pitfalls of cultural relativism and essentialism. The study concludes that transcultural philosophy offers the most promising framework for reinterpreting Confu-cianism as a dynamic part of global philosophical discourse and as a potential contributor to a more inclusive and humane world.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Confucianism, Chinese philosophy, transcultural philosophy, Orientalism, reverse Orientalism, intercultural methodology, Sinology, epistemology
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 01.01.2026
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: Str. 165-176
• Numbering: Vol. 14 (30), iss. 3
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-186471
• UDC: 1(510)
• ISSN on article: 2232-5131
• DOI: 10.4312/as.2026.14.3.165-176
• COBISS.SI-ID: 289703171
• Publication date in RUL: 02.09.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Asian studies = Azijske študije
• Publisher: Založba Univerze v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 2232-5131
• COBISS.SI-ID: 265206272

Licences

• License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Description: This Creative Commons license is very similar to the regular Attribution license, but requires the release of all derivative works under this same license.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Konfucijanstvo in kitajska filozofija v zahodni znanstveni obravnavi: problemi in rešitve
• Keywords: konfucijanstvo, kitajska filozofija, transkulturna filozofija, orientali-zem, obrnjeni orientalizem, medkulturna metodologija, sinologija, epistemologija

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P6-0243-2019
• Name: Azijski jeziki in kulture

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: J6-50202-2023
• Name: Konfucijanski preporod in njegov vpliv na sodobne vzhodnoazijske družbe skozi prizmo odnosa med individuumom in družbo