Beyond Liberal Democracy: Political Thinking for an East Asian Context

About the Book

Is liberal democracy appropriate for East Asia? In this provocative book, Daniel Bell argues for morally legitimate alternatives to Western-style liberal democracy in the region. Beyond Liberal Democracy, which continues the author's influential earlier work, is divided into three parts that correspond to the three main hallmarks of liberal democracy--human rights, democracy, and capitalism. These features have been modified substantially during their transmission to East Asian societies that have been shaped by nonliberal practices and values. Bell points to the dangers of implementing Western-style models and proposes alternative justifications and practices that may be more appropriate for East Asian societies. If human rights, democracy, and capitalism are to take root and produce beneficial outcomes in East Asia, Bell argues, they must be adjusted to contemporary East Asian political and economic realities and to the values of nonliberal East Asian political traditions such as Confucianism and Legalism.Local knowledge is therefore essential for realistic and morally informed contributions to debates on political reform in the region, as well as for mutual learning and enrichment of political theories. Beyond Liberal Democracy is indispensable reading for students and scholars of political theory, Asian studies, and human rights, as well as anyone concerned about China's political and economic future and how Western governments and organizations should engage with China.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments xi Chapter 1: Introduction: One Size Doesn't Fit All 1 The Uniquely Parochial Development of Liberal Democracy 4 Human Rights for an East Asian Context 9 Democracy for an East Asian Context 11 Capitalism for an East Asian Context 14 A Note on the Culturally Sensitive Approach to Political Theorizing 17 Part One: Human Rights for an East Asian Context Chapter 2: Just War and Confucianism: Implications for the Contemporary World 23 The Ideal World versus the Nonideal World 24 General Confucian Principles of Good Government 31 Mencius on Just and Unjust War 35 Implications for Contemporary Societies 40 Chapter 3: Human Rights and "Values in Asia": Reflections on East-West Dialogues 52 Trade-offs and Priorities 55 Asian Justifications for Human Rights 62 Values in Asia versus Western Liberalism: Justifiable Moral Differences? 72 Cross-Cultural Dialogues on Human Rights: What Is the Point? 78 Chapter 4: The Ethical Challenges of International Human Rights NGOs: Reflections on Dialogues between Practitioners and Theorists 84 The Challenge of Cultural Conflict 87 The Challenge of Dealing with Global Poverty 92 The Challenge of Dealing with States That Restrict the Activities of INGOs 103 The Challenge of Fund-Raising 107 Implications for INGOs in East Asia 111 Part Two: Democracy for an East Asian Context Chapter 5: What's Wrong with Active Citizenship? A Comparison of Physical Education in Ancient Greece and Ancient China 121 Two Ancient Civilizations 123 Why Compare State-Sponsored Physical Education in the Two Ancient Civilizations? 132 Political Competition and Sports Competition 134 Commercial Societies, Leisure Time, and the Pursuit of Physical Excellence 143 Implications for Contemporary East Asian Societies 146 Chapter 6: Taking Elitism Seriously: Democracy with Confucian Characteristics 152 Political Elitism and Democracy: Two Important Values 153 Institutionalizing Confucian Democracy 162 Chapter 7: Is Democracy the "Least Bad" System for Minority Groups? 180 Some Definitions 185 Democracy and Nation Building 190 Implications for Outside Prodemocracy Forces 202 Chapter 8: Democratic Education in a Multicultural Context: Lessons from Singapore 206 Singapore's Political History 207 Racism in the Classroom? 211 Inclusive Multiculturalism 215 Beyond Singapore? 218 Part Three: Capitalism for an East Asian Context Chapter 9: Culture and Egalitarian Development: Confucian Constraints on Property Rights 231 On the Selection of Feasible and Desirable Confucian Values for Modern Societies 234 The Overriding Value of Material Welfare 237 The Value of Care for Needy Family Members 243 Exporting Confucianism? 251 Chapter 10: East Asian Capitalism for an Age of Globalization 255 East Asian Capitalism and Economic Productivity 259 East Asian Capitalism and Social Welfare 271 Implications for Public Policy 278 Chapter 11: Justice for Migrant Workers? The Case of Migrant Domestic Workers in East Asia 281 The Political Concerns of Foreign Domestic Workers in Hong Kong and Singapore 283 Should Foreign Domestic Workers Be Given Equal Rights? 290 The Role of Culture 305 Migrant Domestic Workers in Mainland China 313 Chapter 12: Responses to Critics: The Real and the Ideal 323 Selected Bibliography 343 Index 369

About the Author :

Daniel A. Bell is Professor of Political Philosophy and Ethics in the Department of Philosophy at Tsinghua University, Beijing. He is the author of East Meets West: Human Rights and Democracy in East Asia (Princeton) and Communitarianism and Its Critics, and the coeditor of six other books.

Review :
One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2007 "Beyond Liberal Democracy is an intensely personal engagement with the author's experiences of Western liberal political ideas in an Asian context... Mr. Bell ... is a provocative thinker. He is also refreshingly candid... [T]he result is an important contribution to the debate about liberal democracy in Asia."--David Plott, Far Eastern Economic Review "This work is a culmination of at least a decade of thinking and writing by a scholar who has observed closely the many intellectually significant issues that have arisen from political development in East Asian societies... [T]he elegant narrative form in which Beyond Liberal Democracy is written makes for an interesting and timely piece of scholarship that should attract a wide readership."--Surain Subramaniam, Contemporary Southeast Asia "In this engaging, provocative exploration of the intersection between East Asian values and Western liberalism, Bell challenges readers to take seriously the unique contributions of Confucianism and other Eastern traditions to 21st-century political theory and practice... This book is an important contribution to the East-West dialogues of political theorists, activists, and politicians, and sets a high standard for subsequent forays into this field."--Choice