On Deborah Sommer’s “Unusual Depictions of Confucius: Cultural Encounters”

Abstract

The image of Confucius is always “under construction,” and Deborah Sommer’s talk “Unusual Depictions of Confucius: Cultural Encounters” offers glimpses into some of the workings of this de- and re-construction at different times and in different cultures. With a particular focus on depictions of Confucius in Chinese, European, and North American popular culture, Sommer presents, piece by piece, a fascinating collage of the different, incompatible Confuciuses created, subverted, and recreated through time. This lecture takes us into the visual world of statues, travel books, collectible cards, posters, and mystery novels, where the image of Confucius has been used to represent the absolute good, the absolute evil, and anything in between, undergoing multiple, often inexplicable, changes.

Notes

1 The recording of this lecture is available at: https://www.sihaiweixue.org/recordings.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Xianzhe Hui

Hui Xianzhe 惠賢哲 is a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Philosophy at Sun Yat-sen University. She received her doctorate in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Macau.

Dimitra Amarantidou

Dimitra Amarantidou 易冬蘭 teaches Chinese and Comparative Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Macau. Her research focuses on the figure of Confucius and on irony, paradox, and humor in early Chinese thought. She has authored several academic papers and translated books by major contemporary Chinese philosophers. Amarantidou also serves as Fellow and Teacher of the Center for Intercultural Learning at East China Normal University (Shanghai) and is Co-Editor of the Book Reviews (China) section for Philosophy East and West.