The Confluence of Islam and Confucianism: A Paradigm for Civilizational Exchange and Mutual Learning

Dear Colleagues,

1. Introduction

The Chinese Islamic intellectual tradition, epitomized by the concept of ‘Yi-Ru Huitong’ (伊儒会通), represents one of the world's most significant and sustained projects of cross-civilizational dialogue. This tradition transcends the seminal "Han Kitab" textual corpus of the Ming and Qing dynasties, encompassing a millennium-long process of engagement, adaptation, and creative synthesis between the Islamic and Chinese civilizational spheres. This Special Issue seeks to explore this confluence as a historical reality, a philosophical achievement, and a living paradigm for intercultural understanding.

2. Aim of the Special Issue

This Special Issue aims to critically examine and reframe ‘Yi-Ru Huitong’ not merely as a historical subject of study, but as a dynamic framework for understanding how two major world civilizations can engage in profound dialogue and mutual enrichment. We seek contributions that explore the mechanisms, manifestations, and meanings of this confluence across history, thought, culture, and society. By doing so, we aim to position the Sino-Islamic experience at the forefront of global discussions on philosophy of religion, comparative ethics, and the history of ideas.

3. Suggested themes and article types for submissions.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Philosophical explorations of the hermeneutic strategies and metaphysical integrations employed by Chinese Muslim scholars.
• Investigations into how non-Muslim Chinese literati, officials, or Buddhist monks perceived, wrote about and intellectually engaged with Islamic thought and communities.
• Beyond the Han Kitab: Studies examining the precursors to and the legacy of the Ming-Qing scholarly movement, tracing the evolution of this dialogue from the Tang-Song period to the modern era.
• Conceptual Synthesis: Analyses of how core Islamic and Confucian concepts (e.g., Tian/Allah, Ren/Ihsan, Xiao/Birr) were translated, interpreted and fused.
• Material and Aesthetic Witnesses to Confluence: Include architecture, calligraphy, ritual objects and daily practices.
• Contemporary Relevance: Reflections on the relevance of this historical paradigm for contemporary discussions on globalization, multiculturalism and interfaith dialogue.

4. Expected Impact.

We anticipate that this collection will be a landmark contribution, establishing The Confluence of Islam and Confucianism as a critical term in the global academic lexicon of religious and philosophical studies. It will provide a sophisticated, non-Western-centric model for analyzing civilizational interaction, challenging simplistic narratives of clash and highlighting pathways to harmony. The issue will be indispensable for scholars of Islamic studies, Chinese studies, comparative philosophy, and global history, inspiring new interdisciplinary research and fostering a deeper appreciation for China's role in the history of world thought.

We request that, before submitting a manuscript, interested authors submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200-300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editor, or to the Sam Zhang sam.zhang@mdpi.com, the Editor of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Guiping Yang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• the confluence of Islam and Confucianism
• civilizational dialogue
• civilizational exchange and mutual learning
• Han Kitab
• comparative philosophy