Confucianism has been a foundational component of East Asian culture, religion, society, and government for millennia, and its visibility and significance have continued to expand in recent decades. Confucianism is often elusive, challenging categories and theoretical stances of the academy and yet simultaneously seeming to merge with a broader culture. Confucianism has spread with Chinese emigration; it has also spread through the interest of American and European academics who have identified with its scholarly and ethical commitments. While it was once declared a dying tradition, today knowledge of Confucianism is vital to understanding and engaging modern East and Southeast Asia.

Comprised of thirty-eight original essays by experts from a wide range of disciplines, The Oxford Handbook of Confucianism covers the Confucian tradition chronologically, geographically, and topically through textured and innovative examinations of foundational subjects and emerging topics in Confucian studies. Confucianism in China is critically examined, from ancient legends through medieval and early modern China to contemporary manifestations. Essays also consider the tradition in the wider East Asian culture and beyond, notably in Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and the recently emerged “Boston Confucianism.” A series of topical essays study Confucianism's always complicated integration with cultural, social, religious, and political forms, using a range of vantage points including gender, family, ethics, visual and literary arts, government, education, ritual, and modern culture.