Telos 214 (Spring 2026): China Keywords II

Traditions and Transformations in Modern China

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Dear Telos readers,

Today we released Telos 214, our second special issue on China Keywords. Based on papers presented at the 2025 Telos-Paul Piccone Institute Conference in New York, the issue brings together authors from China, Taiwan, the United States, Australia, and Europe to assess recent developments of cultural and political conceptions in China and Taiwan, including notions of empire, tianxia, Confucianism, and democracy. The discussions continue a debate about the nature of the Chinese government from our previous issue, in particular the question of whether it can be characterized as authoritarian or totalitarian. Finally, we remember longtime Telos editor, David Gross, whose passing we mourn and whose voice we will miss dearly.

Eric Hendriks and I co-edited this issue as part of the Telos-Paul Piccone Institute’s China Initiative, which continues to promote studies of the latest intellectual currents in and about China.

I hope you enjoy the issue!

Regards,
David Pan
Editor, Telos

Telos 214 (Spring 2026): China Keywords II

Introduction
Eric Hendriks and David Pan

Empire (帝国): Tracing Its Historical Conceptualization in Modern Northeast Asia
Tony Spanakos

The New Tianxia (新天下): Thinking Empire without Religion
William Xing

Shun (順): Active Allegiance and Passive Governance in Confucianism (open access)
Pei Yu

Dujing (读经): A Radical Grassroots Confucianism
Yukun Zeng

Non-Domination (非宰制): Republican Liberty and Democratic Memory in Taiwan
Chunlin Liu

Debating the Character of China’s Regime

Authoritarianism, Democracy, Legitimacy—and the Capacity of Regimes to Support Intellectual Production
Salvatore Babones

Chinese Political Thought Is a Worthy Interlocutor: A Response to Salvatore Babones
Eric Hendriks

Authoritarianism and Totalitarianism in China: Reply to Salvatore Babones and Eric Hendriks
David Pan

In Memoriam

Ideas in History: Remembering David Gross
Timothy W. Luke

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