Early Reception of the “Zhuangzi” in the West

UC Berkeley presents a talk by Richard Lynn to discuss 17th and 18th centuries European general encounter with South and East Asian religious traditions.

Richard Lynn, East Asian Studies, University of Toronto

The reception of the Daoist classic "Zhuangzi" in the West has a long history even prior to the first translations in the 1880s. The speaker will discuss the 17th and 18th centuries European general encounter with South and East Asian religious traditions, an experience that shaped the development of modern Orientalism before imperialist ambitions and commercial greed during the early 19th century compromised what had originally been a search to expand Western religious perspectives on God, creation, and the individual soul. Key players in this process were members of the Jesuit mission to Peking. The writings of Joseph-Henri Prémare and Jean-François Foucquet will be examined, as well as the writings of a coterie of 18th century intellectuals, secular devotees of Christian mysticism associated with the “Quietism” movement.