ABSTRACT
I want to address the question of whether we can construct a model of citizenship within the Confucian framework. The success of such a project will go a long way towards dispelling the common belief that Confucianism at best has nothing to contribute to the idea of citizenship, and at worst is antithetical to such an idea. This common belief is understandable given the fact that the idea of citizenship emerged only recently together with, or perhaps as a part of, what is called 'modernity', whereas Confucianism is thought by many as having only a historical value. Furthermore, recent theoretical developments of the idea of citizenship are shaped by contemporary political, demographic, and economic factors, factors that were not in play in the times in which Confucianism developed. This being the case, the construction the Confucian idea of citizenship (or the idea of Confucian citizenship - I use the two constructions interchangeably) must begin with the negative task of removing scepticism towards it. This will be attempted in the first section. As for the positive task of building a model of citizenship within the Confucian framework, I can only make some tentative suggestions in the second section, which aims to show what might be the key features of Confucian citizenship, and how it compares with contemporary Western understanding of citizenship.
