Introduction: Confusions over Confucianism
Part I. The puzzle of classification : how did Confucianism become a world religion? Four controversies over the religious nature of Confucianism : a brief history of Confucianism ; The making of a world religion : Confucianism and the emergence of comparative religion as a discipline in the nineteenth century ; The Confucianism as a religion controversy in contemporary China
Part II. The problem of methodology : who are the Confucians in China? Confucianism as a world religion : the legitimation of a new paradigm ; Counting Confucians through social scientific research ; To become a Confucian : a new conceptual framework
Part III. The reality of practices : is Confucianism a religion in China today? The emerging voices of women in the revival of Confucianism ; The contemporary revival and reinvention of Confucian ritual practices ; The politics of the future of Confucianism.