Il passato al servizio di quale presente? Un’edizione critica dei Dialoghi di Confucio durante il pi Lin pi Kong (1974)

This essay contributes to the study of the critical re-examination of Chinese pre-imperial philosophy during the Cultural Revolution through its superimposition with contemporary ideological struggles. In particular, the essay proposes an analysis of a critical edition of Confucius’ Analects published in 1974 during the anti-Confucian campaign. The study aims to contribute to a more general investigation that touches upon the main political stakes between late 1973 and 1975, which condensed the various unresolved knots of the Cultural Revolution, demonstrating its reabsorption within the bureaucratic confines of the party-state itself.