Confucianism's Role-Based Political Ethic

Recent developments like the Arab Spring, the Occupy Movement, and the global economic crisis have called the conventional wisdom concerning the liberal, capitalist, democratic order into question. In the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) region, for some time rapid political change hastened by mass protest seemed to be the order of the day. By contrast, the efforts to carry the ‘Jasmine Revolution’ to China have been far less successful, an outcome that can be linked to concrete social policies or a more general ‘political economy of authoritarian resilience’. ¹ However, the persisting Confucian character of East Asia, as visible for example in South Korea’s democratization during the 1980s and 1990s or in some aspects of Japanese trade-unionism, also invites reflection on the deeper cultural and philosophical roots of political behaviour. ² Exploring ‘Confucian democracy’ may help in responding to the larger challenge of thinking democracy amidst diversity. Confucianism’s role-based political ethic brings with it a measured approach to remonstrative rather than simply ‘free’ speech, face-saving protest, and slow political change, all of which adds complexity to the task of resituating and renewing democracy as globalization continues to unfold.