China as Method: Methodological Implications of François Jullien’s Philosophical Detour through China

Abstract

François Jullien’s theoretical construction of China as a “philosophical tool” signifies an important methodology, namely presenting China not as an object of study, but as a method of reflection. By advocating a strategy of “detour and access,” he proposes to (re)interrogate the European culture and tradition from China, perceived as the “outside,” to unveil the “unthought-of” of Europe. In this sense, Jullien’s approach has pushed China studies out of a marginalized field to the foreground of more general philosophical debates, and yields methodological implications for not only studying China but also theoretical inquiries in general. From an “object” to a “method,” this shifted role of China suggests reversing the Eurocentric theoretical and epistemological framework, leading to the construction of a transcultural research paradigm based upon cultural pluralism and communicability, in which China becomes a nexus of East-West dialogue and a method to understand the world.

Keywords:

• China as Method
• François Jullien
• detour
• China
• French theory
• une « déconstruction » du dehors

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Léon Vandermeersch is perhaps the most prominent among French Sinologists in stalwart defense of Jullien.

2 Although Jullien has also discussed China in Mao or post-Mao eras, in most of his works, China refers to traditional China, especially China before the May Fourth Movement (1919).

Additional information

Funding

This paper is supported by The National Social Science Fund of China: [Grant Number 23BWW016]; Major Program of the National Social Science Fund of China: [Grant Number 20&ZD140].

Notes on contributors

You Wu

You Wu is Professor at East China Normal University. She is the author of Un siècle de révolution : Le rôle des intellectuels comme initiateurs et soutien du processus des mouvements des femmes en Chine, en Grande Bretagne et en France de 1850 à 1950 (2013) and Dialogue and Diversity: François Jullien and China (多元与对话: 弗朗索瓦·于连与中国, 2023). Her articles appeared in journals such as Babel, Interventions, Critical Arts and Archiv orientální. Her research interest lies in the fields of comparative literature and cultural studies.