Image for The Self in the West and East Asia

The Self in the West and East Asia : Being or Becoming

See all formats and editions

From the fraught world of geopolitics to business and the academy, it’s more vital than ever that Westerners and East Asians understand how each other thinks.

As Jin Li shows in this groundbreaking work, the differences run deep.

Li explores the philosophical origins of the concept of self in both cultures and synthesizes her findings with cutting-edge psychological research to reveal a fundamental contrast. Westerners tend to think of the self as being, as a stable entity fixed in time and place.

East Asians think of the self as relational and embedded in a process of becoming.

The differences show in our intellectual traditions, our vocabulary, and our grammar.

They are even apparent in our politics: the West is more interested in individual rights and East Asians in collective wellbeing.

Deepening global exchanges may lead to some blurring and even integration of these cultural tendencies, but research suggests that the basic self-models, rooted in long-standing philosophies, are likely to endure. The Self in the West and East Asia is an enriching and enlightening account of a crucial subject at a time when relations between East and West have moved center-stage in international affairs.

Read More
Available
£25.50 Save 15.00%
RRP £30.00
Add Line Customisation
34 in stock Need More ?
Add to List
Product Details
Polity Press
1509561366 / 9781509561360
Hardback
13/09/2024
United Kingdom
English
320 pages