Jin Li's Book Talk: "The Self in the West and East Asia: Being or Becoming"

Dr. Li's journey began with an invitation from the Berggruen Institute (BI), a think tank based in Los Angeles, to collaborate on a project examining two fundamental human needs: the quest to be oneself, which involves pursuing individual goals, and the aspiration to build meaningful social relationships. “BI asked me to explore the autonomous self and the relational self that perhaps all humans develop. BI was interested in studying both Western and East Asian notions of the self that shed light on important cultural variations in order to bridge cross-cultural understanding for the 21st century.”

Her previous book, Cultural Foundations of Learning: East and West, provided a foundation for this new exploration by focusing on the cultural distinction between Western mind-oriented learning and the virtue-oriented approach of East Asian cultures. As Li explains, “the current book moves to a new level to explore how human selves are conceptualized and how they are lived. The ways in which families encourage or discourage their children to pursue their goals reflect their culture’s philosophy on what kind of person the culture promotes.”

Li shares that in Western cultures, individualism is often prioritized, whereas East Asian cultures emphasize relationality, particularly in key relationships—parent-parent, parent-child, siblings, and extending to friendships and community ties. “Learning/education relies on mutual support and emotional/affective bonding in these important contexts.”

Li hopes readers will gain a deeper understanding of how ancient philosophical outlooks continue to shape our identities and life paths. She also encourages readers to examine their own culture and backgrounds, affirming that every individual has the right to dignity. “Recognizing each and every culture’s profound philosophy and its corresponding values is important for the entire society, not the least the field of education. Without this recognition, it is hard to achieve respect for children and families from diverse cultures

Looking ahead, Dr. Li plans to write a new book focused on the moral self and is currently researching the learning beliefs of Chinese American and European American children.

The Self in the West and East Asia: Being or Becoming will be released in early November and is available for pre-order. Professor Li will give a talk about this book to the Education Department and Brown community on December 5.

This is a hybrid event. You can choose to attend in person on the Brown University campus, or online.

• In-Person: Pembroke Hall Room 305, 172 Meeting Street, Providence, RI 02912
  
• Online: All registrants will receive the link to the live stream. Please note that virtual attendees will not be able to send comments or participate in the Q&A due to the limitations of the platform.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Pembroke Hall, 172 Meeting Street, Providence, United States