The Confucian conception of self: collectivist or relational?

In this paper, I clarify the Confucian conception of self by distinguishing it from com­mon misrepresentations, most notably its conflation with collectivism, as critiqued by Jana Rošker. These distortions, arguably rooted in the application of inappropriate West­ern frameworks, portray the Confucian self as self-effacing and subordinate to society. Drawing on key sinological and philosophical work, including that of David Hall, Roger Ames, and Jana Rošker, I argue instead that the Confucian self is relational and proces­sual: constituted through one’s roles and relationships, not erased by them. I develop this interpretation in two stages. First, I show through conceptual analysis how the Confucian self integrates individuality and interdependence by situating personhood in a shared awareness of social roles. Second, I analyse the Analects and Mencius to show how the ideal of ren (仁) embodies ethical self-cultivation as a dynamic, ongoing process. I con­clude that the Confucian self is best seen as a shared or social self-consciousness of roles and relations.