Peace and Anarchy in East Asia
Utopian Ideals and Geopolitical Realities
Edited by
Chiara Ghidini [+–]
University of Naples L’Orientale
Chiara Ghidini is an associate professor of Religions and Philosophies of East Asia at the University of Naples L’Orientale. She received her PhD at the University of Cambridge. Her research focuses on East Asian, particularly Japanese, cultural history and history of religions, the construction of antiquity in 19th and 20th-century Japan, and the reception of ancient Greek history in Japan.
Federico Brusadelli [+–]
University of Naples L’Orientale
Federico Brusadelli is Assistant Professor of Chinese History at the University of Naples “L’Orientale”. His research focusses on the history of political thought and the history of concepts in late-imperial and early-Republican China. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and Managing Editor of the journal Ming Qing Yanjiu. His monograph on Kang Youwei’s utopianism, Confucian Concord, was published by Brill in 2020.
This volume examines the complex relationship between peace and anarchy in East Asia. Drawing upon the region’s profound philosophical traditions—Confucianism’s focus on social harmony, Daoism’s celebration of natural spontaneity, and Buddhism’s pursuit of inner peace—East Asia has developed a variety of utopian visions of coexistence over time. These ideals frequently intersect with the principles of anarchism, which challenge hierarchical structures and propose alternative models of social organisation founded on autonomy, cooperation, and equality.
The volume investigates historical and contemporary cases in which anarchist thought and practices have contributed to peacebuilding efforts on local, regional, and international scales. From communal movements inspired by Daoist and Buddhist principles to modern reinterpretations of anarchist theories within East Asian contexts, it analyses the ways in which anarchism has shaped alternative frameworks for achieving peace. Furthermore, it explores the tensions and synergies between decentralised, cooperative approaches to peace—rooted in anarchist ideals—and the more institutionalised, hierarchical methods that often dominate the region. Through this analysis, the book aims to highlight the potential of anarchist thought to renew and enrich the discourse on peace in East Asia, offering innovative perspectives on addressing conflict and fostering coexistence. Ultimately, it seeks to raise fundamental questions about how anarchist principles can reconcile utopian aspirations with the pragmatic demands of contemporary realities, outlining sustainable and inclusive pathways toward peace in the twenty-first century.
Series: Religions and Peace Studies
