Alfonso Vagnone’’s Tongyou Jiaoyu (on the Education of Children, C. 1632): The Earliest Encounter Between Chinese and European Pedagogy

Giulia Falato’s work on Alfonso Vagnone S.J.’s (1568-1640) Tongyou jiaoyu 童幼教育 (On the Education of Children) offers a systematic study of the earliest treatise on European pedagogy and its first annotated translation in English. In particular, it highlights the role of Tongyou jiaoyu as a cultural bridge between the Chinese and Western traditions. Drawing from archival materials and multi-language literature, Falato produces an insightful account of the Jesuit’s background, the pedagogical debate in late-Ming China, and the making and main sources of the treatise. Through the diachronic analysis of a selection of philosophical terms, this work also provides a fresh perspective on the Jesuits’ lexical innovations and contribution to the formation of the modern Chinese lexicon.

Giulia Falato, Ph.D. (2017), Sapienza University of Rome, works as a Lecturer in Chinese Studies at the University of Oxford. She has published a number of articles in Italian and international journals, including the International Communication of Chinese Culture (Springer).