Reflections on the Jesuit Mission to China

38 Pages Posted: 6 Mar 2010

See all articles by Kenneth Winston

Kenneth Winston

Harvard Kennedy School

Mary Jo Bane

Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS)

Date Written: February 5, 2010

Abstract

With the explosive growth of transnational dealings, professionals in developed countries have expanding opportunities to spread their particular ways of doing things around the world. However, missionary work, whether religious or secular, raises difficult questions about ends and means. What warrant do missionaries have for inducing others to act and believe as they do? What devices are permissible in the effort to bring about change in a host population? This working paper addresses some of these questions by reflecting on the Jesuit mission to China in the 17th century. The Jesuit mission was the first instance in the modern period of sustained missionary work by westerners in China, and it remains of enduring significance. By focusing on the “ethics of missionary work” in the Jesuit case, we draw some conclusions for 21st century would-be missionaries.

Keywords: religion, missionaries, China, Jesuits, international affairs, international development

Suggested Citation

Winston, Kenneth and Bane, Mary Jo, Reflections on the Jesuit Mission to China (February 5, 2010). HKS Working Paper No. RWP10-004, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1565662 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1565662

Kenneth Winston (Contact Author)

Harvard Kennedy School ( email )

79 John F. Kennedy Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Mary Jo Bane

Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) ( email )

79 John F. Kennedy Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States
617-496-9703 (Phone)

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Paper statistics

Downloads
240
Abstract Views
1,696
Rank
266,424
PlumX Metrics