Confucian Traditions Unit
We welcome full panel proposals, as well as individual paper submissions, on any theme related to the Confucian traditions. Our panels run from 90-120 minutes; and the most successful panels have no more than four participants.
The steering committee has identified the following themes as possible topics for 2026:
- Ritual and pattern (wen 文). Contact: Alia Goehr (University of Minnesota) agoehr@umn.edu.
- Self-cultivation and the discourse of well-being. Contact: Matthew Duperon (Susquehanna University) duperson@susqu.edu.
- Reconstructions of ritual based on recently unearthed manuscripts. Filippo Marsili (Saint Louis University) filippo.marsili@slu.edu.
- Teaching Confucianism in the modern world. Shumo Wang (Duke University) Shumo.wang@duke.edu.
- Ideas related to the 2026 presidential theme of "the future" at AAR.
Other topics are also welcome, as are co-sponsored sessions with other Units.
To submit a proposal, membership in the American Academy of Religion is not required. However, once a proposal is accepted, presenters must register for the AAR Annual Meeting, which will be held in Denver from November 21-24, 2026.
All accepted papers and panels will be invited to submit their work to the Journal of Confucian Philosophy and Culture for consideration as part of a special issue, as individual articles, or as conference proceedings.
The Unit is the only global scholarly organization in the English-speaking world dedicated exclusively to Confucianism. It studies the diverse traditions linked to Confucius, his precursors, and followers, collectively referred to as "Ru." This includes exploring intersections between Confucian thought and practices with other traditions. Embracing a variety of approaches — philosophical, historical, literary, sociological and comparative — the Unit operates beyond the confines of any single country or academic discipline.
| Chair | Dates | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bin Song | bsong2@washcoll.edu | - | View |
| Michael Ing | ming@iu.edu | - | View |