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Memory and Power in Qufu: Inscribing the past of Confucius’ Descendants

University of Dayton

This article examines the connection between writing on the past and the construction of collective memory and identity by the Kong family of Qufu, the recognized descendants of the Confucius. Kong family dukes raised an ancestor named Renyu to a position of importance in the Kong historical imaginary second only to Confucius himself, transforming a seemingly insignificant name from the family records into a powerful signifier of the centralized economic and political institution represented by the title of the "Duke for Fulfilling the Sage." By tracing the development of the legend of Kong Renyu from the fourteenth century to the present, this article details the centrality of social and political power in the construction of the historical narratives that serve as the basis of collective memory and identity.

Key Words: Kong family • Qufu • Chinese lineages • memory • kinship

This version was published on October 1, 2009

Journal of Family History, Vol. 34, No. 4, 327-343 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0363199009337393


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