2024
Ziliotti, Elena
Breaking the Mold: Normative Hybridity as the Key to Contemporary “Non-Western” Political Theorizing Journal Article
In: American Political Science Review, pp. 1-14, 2024, ISSN: 0003-0554.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Confucian perspective, Confucian political meritocracy, Non-Western Political Theory, Normative Hybridity, Policy considerations, Political Theory
@article{Ziliotti2024,
title = {Breaking the Mold: Normative Hybridity as the Key to Contemporary “Non-Western” Political Theorizing},
author = {Elena Ziliotti},
url = {https://www.esdit.nl/breaking-the-mold-normative-hybridity-as-the-key-to-contemporary-non-western-political-theorizing/},
doi = {10.1017/S0003055424000194},
issn = {0003-0554},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-04-15},
urldate = {2024-04-15},
journal = {American Political Science Review},
pages = {1-14},
abstract = {What normative compass can appropriately ground a theory for contemporary “non-Western” societies? This question has become urgent amid the pressure to decolonize political science and academia. The hybridity of numerous contemporary non-Western societies means that political theorists cannot refuse to engage with either Western-originated or premodern Indigenous concepts and ways of thinking that bear on the local public culture. However, these normative strands alone are unsuitable for grounding a contemporary theory. This methodological dilemma can be overcome if theorists adopt normative hybridity as a methodological stance. Normative hybridity suggests that hybridity is not only a feature of the theorist’s context of reference but should also be their modus operandi. Normative hybridity already underpins relevant works in contemporary Confucian political theory. Drawing from these works, I illustrate three methods to apply normative hybridity to theory building. This novel methodological approach uniquely addresses current political theory discussions and influences non-Western policymaking.},
keywords = {Confucian perspective, Confucian political meritocracy, Non-Western Political Theory, Normative Hybridity, Policy considerations, Political Theory},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
What normative compass can appropriately ground a theory for contemporary “non-Western” societies? This question has become urgent amid the pressure to decolonize political science and academia. The hybridity of numerous contemporary non-Western societies means that political theorists cannot refuse to engage with either Western-originated or premodern Indigenous concepts and ways of thinking that bear on the local public culture. However, these normative strands alone are unsuitable for grounding a contemporary theory. This methodological dilemma can be overcome if theorists adopt normative hybridity as a methodological stance. Normative hybridity suggests that hybridity is not only a feature of the theorist’s context of reference but should also be their modus operandi. Normative hybridity already underpins relevant works in contemporary Confucian political theory. Drawing from these works, I illustrate three methods to apply normative hybridity to theory building. This novel methodological approach uniquely addresses current political theory discussions and influences non-Western policymaking.
2023
Dennis, Matthew; Ziliotti, Elena
Living Well Together Online: Digital Wellbeing from a Confucian Perspective Journal Article
In: Journal of Applied Philosophy, vol. 40, no. 2, 2023.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Confucian perspective, Digital well-being
@article{nokey,
title = {Living Well Together Online: Digital Wellbeing from a Confucian Perspective},
author = {Matthew Dennis and Elena Ziliotti},
url = {https://www.esdit.nl/j-applied-philosophy-2022-dennis-living-well-together-online-digital-wellbeing-from-a-confucian-perspective/},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1111/japp.12627},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-05-01},
urldate = {2023-05-01},
journal = {Journal of Applied Philosophy},
volume = {40},
number = {2},
abstract = {The impact of social media technologies (SMTs) on digital wellbeing has become an increasingly important puzzle for ethicists of technology. In this article, we explain why individualised theories of digital wellbeing (DWB) can only solve part of this puzzle. While an individualised conception of DWB is useful for understanding online self-regulation, we contend that we must seek greater understanding of how SMTs connect us. To build an account of this, we locate the conceptual resources for our account in Confucian ethics. In contrast to individualised conceptions of human flourishing that are found in the Western tradition, Confucian thinkers strongly emphasise that individuals cannot flourish alone, but need wider social structures (partner, family, society, nation). Not only do strands of Confucian ethics explain how individuals are defined by the roles they take up in relationships, but this perspective also makes practical suggestions for how these roles can be cultivated. We conclude our article by identifying the Confucian notions that seem to have most promise for the future design of SMTs.},
keywords = {Confucian perspective, Digital well-being},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The impact of social media technologies (SMTs) on digital wellbeing has become an increasingly important puzzle for ethicists of technology. In this article, we explain why individualised theories of digital wellbeing (DWB) can only solve part of this puzzle. While an individualised conception of DWB is useful for understanding online self-regulation, we contend that we must seek greater understanding of how SMTs connect us. To build an account of this, we locate the conceptual resources for our account in Confucian ethics. In contrast to individualised conceptions of human flourishing that are found in the Western tradition, Confucian thinkers strongly emphasise that individuals cannot flourish alone, but need wider social structures (partner, family, society, nation). Not only do strands of Confucian ethics explain how individuals are defined by the roles they take up in relationships, but this perspective also makes practical suggestions for how these roles can be cultivated. We conclude our article by identifying the Confucian notions that seem to have most promise for the future design of SMTs.