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Shows how John Dewey's visit to China from 1919-1921 influenced his social and political thought.
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JOHN DEWEY IN CHINA SUNY series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture Roger T. Ames, editor JOHN DEWEY IN CHINA To Teach and to Learn ﱛﱛ E ﱛﱛ Jessica Ching-Sze Wang STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS Photo of John Dewey and Alice Chipman Dewey with Hu Shih and Tao Xingzhi in Nanjing, China (1920), used with the permission of Special Collections Research Center, Morris Library, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, U.S.A. Published by State University of New York Press, Albany © 2007 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. For information, contact State University of New York Press, www.sunypress.edu, Albany, NY Production by Marilyn P. Semerad Marketing by Michael Campochiaro Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Wang, Jessica Ching-Sze. John Dewey in China : to teach and to learn / Jessica Ching-Sze Wang. p. cm. — (Suny series in Chinese philosophy and culture) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7914-7203-3 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Dewey, John, 1859–1952. 2. Social sciences—Philosophy. 3. Education—Philosophy. 4. Political science—Philosophy. 5. United States—Foreign relations—China. 6. China— Foreign relations—United States. I. Title. B945.D44C44 2007 191—dc22 2006036597 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 CONTENTS ﱝﱝﱝﱝﱝ E ﱝﱝﱝﱝﱝ Acknowledgments vii Chapter 1. Dewey and May Fourth China Enacting a Historical Drama Rethinking Dewey’s Visit in China The Encounter between Dewey and China: Then and Now Overview of Upcoming Chapters Chapter 2. Dewey as a Teacher 1 1 5 8 9 13 Dewey as a Modern Confucius Dewey as “Mr. Science” Dewey as “Mr. Democracy” Dewey as the Common People’s Educator Dewey as a Democratic Teacher Whose Teaching? Or Hu’s Teaching? 14 15 16 20 22 30 Chapter 3. The Reception of Dewey in China 41 The Dewey Fad Marxist Challenges to Dewey’s Social and Political Philosophy Traditionalist Responses to Dewey’s Educational Philosophy Reconsidering “The Dewey Experiment” Chapter 4. Dewey as a Learner 42 46 53 62 65 Dewey as a Political Commentator Dewey as a Goodwill Ambassador Dewey as a Cultural Anthropologist A Fruitful Journey to the East 66 70 74 83 Chapter 5. The Influence of China on Dewey’s Social and Political Philosophy Rethinking Internationalism Replacing the State with the Public Reconstructing Democracy Mapping Out a Future for Confucian Democracy v 87 87 93 102 115 vi contents Chapter 6. Continuing the Dialogue on Dewey and China 121 Notes 125 Bibliography 141 Index 149 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ﱝﱝﱝﱝﱝ E ﱝﱝﱝﱝﱝ My study on John Dewey’s visit to China could not have been possible without the assistance and support of many individuals. First, I would like to thank Dr. Roger Ames and Dr. Jim Tiles for introducing me to this important topic and for offering constructive feedback throughout the years. I am especially indebted to Dr. Ames for encouraging me to convert my dissertation into a book and recommending my work to the State University of New York Press. My greatest debt