Make Revenge Great Again: Onderzoek naar wraak binnen het Gongyang confucianisme van de Strijdende Staten tot heden

For centuries, Gongyang Confucianism (Gongyangxue 公羊學) has been viewed as closely connected to the topic of revenge, as several entries in the Gongyang zhuan 公羊傳 (Gongyang Tradition) detail how to deal with cases thereof. The earliest commentaries on the text, dating to the Han dynasty (202 BC-220 AD), however, already confront us with layers of interpretation, renegotiation, and actualization of revenge and concepts connected to it, such as righteousness (yi 義) or human relationships (renlun 人論). Throughout the millennia-long evolution of Gongyang Confucianism, each scholar weaved their own thread into the fabric of interpretation, leaving us with a philosophical patchwork to explore. Examining the written corpora of all central figures within the tradition of Gongyang Confucianism, my thesis explores the notion of revenge (fuchou 復仇) and its evolution since early imperial China. These case studies thus unravel how various scholars added and rejected, promoted and neglected, and overall negotiated ideas and concepts in the sphere of revenge throughout the process of philosophical theorizing. When should revenge be allowed? Who can it be taken against? What is an appropriate amount of violence for revenge? And how does revenge relate to the law? While their language might have modernized, discourses on revenge persist to this day in Chinese academia. A look at the history of this discussion therefore allows us not only to better understand where it comes from but helps us to grasp the ground on which these battles are fought, to see which new elements have been added to them, and to understand what is at stake in the present day.