A Dialogue Between John Dewey and China: May Fourth Movement and Reformation of Democratic Ideal

• In Event: Interrogating Consequential Education Research for Adolescents' Psychological Well-Being in China

Abstract

John Dewey’s sojourn in China from 1919 to 1921 happened to intertwine with the May Fourth/New Culture Movement in Chinese history. Such a historical coincidence brought about a fascinating conversation between Deweyan pragmatism and China of the May Fourth era. In this paper, I examine the ways in which Chinese social institutions, cultural customs, and political climates in a given historical context interacted with John Dewey’s American pragmatism. Using the approach of foundational studies, this paper aims to analyze how Chinese social, political, and educational situations combine to influence Dewey’s intellectual thought. In other words, the crucial question that this work seeks to answer is: How Dewey’s experience in China reshaped his own idea of democracy and cultural diversity.

Author

• James Yang, BNU-HKBU United International College
  Presenting Author