Scholars Explore Alternative Sources of Cosmopolitanism
Members of the U.S.-China Research Group on Cosmopolitanism convened their third and final meeting on April 26 to 27, 2024, in Washington, DC. Led by Professor Philip Ivanhoe (Georgetown University) and Professor Peng Guoxiang (Zhejiang University), the group consisted of nine scholars from the United States and the Chinese cultural sphere. Between 2021 and 2024, the research group convened both virtual and in-person dialogues on the theoretical and practical dimensions of cosmopolitanism.
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Expanding the Contemporary Debate on Cosmopolitanism
As cosmopolitanism has received increased attention in the humanities and social sciences in recent years, many scholars have limited contemporary debates over the conceptualization and practice of cosmopolitanism to particular approaches in the Western tradition. Convening for the first time in 2021, the U.S.-China Research Group on Cosmopolitanism sought to open the aperture of these debates to include alternative versions of cosmopolitanism rooted in the Chinese tradition. In subsequent meetings in Hong Kong and Washington, DC, the group engaged in constructive dialogues that led to the development of an initial bibliography on cosmopolitanism and working papers by its members.
The group’s collaborative efforts culminated in a final set of meetings in April 2024. Participants convened at Georgetown University’s main campus in Washington, DC, and presented their papers to each other during a two-day conference. Owen Flanagan, the James B. Duke Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and professor of neurobiology emeritus at Duke University, joined the group during these sessions, along with a special panel of selected Georgetown graduate and undergraduate students, who shared their own reflections and inquiries into cosmopolitanism with the group.
Upon concluding the group’s final meetings, participants submitted their research findings in a final set of essays, which are slated for publication in a forthcoming special issue of the Journal of Confucian Philosophy and Culture. Drawing from traditional Chinese concepts of grand unity, harmony, and all under heaven as well as various strands of Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist thought, participants’ essays grappled with what different accounts of cosmopolitanism might mean in our modern, global, and multicultural world.
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Engaging in a Global Conversation
According to Ivanhoe, the group benefitted from engaging a diverse group of participants with experiences working in both China and the United States.
There is a great need for us to expand our understanding of the other cultures of the world, for there is much that we can learn from these very sophisticated civilizations. Everyone can benefit from greater exposure and deeper understanding.
By integrating rich philosophical resources from Chinese traditions with contemporary debates on cosmopolitanism, the group has contributed to a more nuanced understanding of the nature and future of cosmopolitanism, as well as highlighted the alternative sources of cosmopolitanism to be found in other world traditions.