Can Confucianism's Relational Picture Of The Self Help Us Understand and Address Populism?

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This project will argue that a Confucian relational conception of the self allows us to achieve a greater sociological understanding of populism and thus could inform public policies capable of tackling it. Many existing interpretations of populism take as a basic premise an atomistic, disembodied view of self-identity. My hypothesis is that a Confucian relational view of self-identity can better illuminate why community, place and dignity of work matter to populist voters. If this is true, then Confucianism can provide a novel explanation of why people vote for populists and inform a public policy strategy aimed at tackling populism.