New Books Network Shuchen Xiang, "Chinese Cosmopolitanism: The History and Philosophy of an Idea" (Princeton UP, 2023)
Jan 4, 2026
Shuchen Xiang, Mount Hua Professor of Philosophy at Xidian University and author of a pivotal new book, dives into the rich tapestry of Chinese identity. She offers a fresh examination of Chinese cosmopolitanism, contrasting it with Western ideas of race and identity. Xiang argues that Chinese philosophy promotes a dynamic identity formed out of diversity, rejecting fixed notions of race. Highlights include her exploration of Confucianism's interplay with contemporary critical race theory and the idea that Chinese identity is more about cultural hybridity than lineage.
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Western Racism As A Historical Singularity
- Western racism is historically singular in its scale and effects, not just ordinary intergroup conflict.
- Shuchen Xiang ties this singularity to a racialized worldview rooted in the barbarian concept that enabled massive dispossession and genocide.
Expose Colonial Erasures In History Teaching
- Avoid epistemologies that erase racial exploitation when teaching global history.
- Xiang urges scholars to expose how colonial narratives obscure the central role of racialized extraction and violence.
Change Is The Basis Of Chinese Continuity
- Chinese metaphysics prizes change and organismic exchange rather than static identity.
- For Shuchen Xiang, difference equals life while sameness equals death, making pluralism foundational to continuity.
