Finding the Context of Confucian Universalism(中華): Achievements and Challenges

This article summarizes the issues in researches on Confucian Universalism(中華), examines the contributions of the recently published books, and suggests future challenges for advancing researches on Confucian Universalism based on these findings.<br/> There has been an increase in the number of studies that look at Confucian Universalism as a sense of mission on their times and belief system of Joseon’s intellectuals. However, a fundamental criticism of this trend was consistently raised: that the idea of Confucian Universalism was a grandiose, ideological fiction and a tool of the ruling class. Although various studies have raised various contexts of Confucian Universalism, the issues surrounding Confucian Universalism remain unresolved.<br/> Both “Chunghwa: the Criteria of a Lost Civilization” and “The Relationship between Joseon·Qing Dynasty and the Diplomacy of Embassy” shared a common emphasis on historical context and attempted to answer the questions that had been raised in their own ways. While both books have helped to resolve some of the questions that have been raised in approaching the Confucian Universalism, they also leave some challenges. This article is organized the challenges into three categories: the synthesis of varuous research trends of Confucian Universalism, the exploring research of Confucian Universalism beyond Joseon, and the debates about historical significance of Confucian Universalism. In particular, this article suggested discussion points related to historical context and the meaning of Confucian Universalism.