The multiyear project Confucian Democracy held its third conference in April 2002 in Hong Kong, where most of the 13 papers here were presented in earlier versions. They focus on Confucian-style affective relations in modern societies. The overriding themes are the development of a political theory of affective relations, probing the history of affective relations, and locating affective relations in institutional contexts. The contributors are scholars of politics, public administration, and areas studies in Asia and the US. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
In The Politics of Affective Relations, editors Daniel Bell and Hahm Chaihark refine our understanding of the East Asian conception of the self by examining how that conception was formulated, reproduced, and utilized throughout history. By bringing together a collection of articles authored by experts in a variety of academic disciplines, Bell and Hahm scrutinize how the East Asian emphasis on 'relationality' manifests itself in various real-life settings such as the family, the economy, politics, and the legal system. This volume will provide readers with a broader perspective on and a deeper appreciation for the pervasive nature of 'relationality' in East Asia.
