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The Destiny Of Western Theory In China: Jameson And Jamesonism, Kang Liu

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

This essay is the first of a series of inquiries. It takes Jameson as a point of departure for the reflection on the reception, revision and transformation of western literary theories in China over the last four decades. It examines the path of "translating and borrowing", "addressing Chinese issues with western discourses" as the intellectual background, and then explores "Chinese Jamesonism" as a neo-Marxist academic discourse befitting current Chinese circumstances, invented on a selective themes of postmodernism and Third World "national allegory". Chinese Jamesonism has little to do with what Jameson thinks and writes, and this kind of selective misreading …

A Fusion Of Yangmingism, Politics And Literature: The Constructional Dimensions Of Li Fu's Literary Ideas, Wei Chang

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

Li Fu's ( 1675-1750) literary ideas are a fusion of Yangmingism, politics and literature, due to his profound research on Yangmingism, his political expectation for being a man like Yi Yin, his appreciation for Ouyang Xiu, Zeng Gong, Wang Anshi, a group of people born in Jiangxi who put great importance on literature, his rich literary experience and profound insights in his articles. Based on Yangmingism, he cleared the barriers to be a saint and got the ideas which could turn thoughts into action. He then bridged the traditional gap between "Confucian orthodoxy" and "dominion", constructed the discourse system about …

A Study Of "The Anti-Modern Modernity" And Its Change In Two-Way Travels, Yuyu Wu

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

Since Wang Hui discussed "the anti-modern modernity" in detail in his article "Contemporary Chinese Thought and the Question of Modernity", the issue of Chinese modernity has become a bone of contention in the ideological circle of China. In fact, the theory did not grow from China, but was initially proposed by Western Leftist theorists. It affected Chinese scholars in the West and then entered China. This article focuses on the discussion of "the anti-modern modernity" by Arif Dirlik, Liu Kang and Wang Hui, and compares their different understandings and interpretations in Chinese and Western contexts. The theory of Arif Dirlik …

Art And Objecthood: An Explication Of The Debate Inspired By Martin Heidegger, Zhenglong Wang

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

In his middle and later writings, Heidegger puts forward the issue of the relation of art and objecthood, holding that creation presents an object as a production and an artwork manifests the thingly element in a broad field, with criticism of the three definitions of the thing: the thing as a carrier of properties, the thing as a unit of sensorial perception, and the thing as matter moulded in a particular form. Heidegger's ideas based on his art ontology reflect his thoughts about what art is and what a human being is, which are related to the art trends of …

Kristeva And The Generation Of Postmodernist Literary Theory, Xuemei Zhao

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

Postmodernist Literary Theory starts from the French poststructuralist and deconstructivist literary theory, Kristeva plays a vital role in the generation of French Postmodernism Literary Theory. In France, Bakhtin's poetics introduced by Kristeva plays a landmark role in the transition of the ideological trend from structuralism to post-structuralism. On the basis of inheriting and developing Bakhtin's dialogue theory, Kristeva proposes the Intertextuality theory, Which establishes her position as the pioneer of poststructuralist literary theory and directly contributes to Roland Barthes' transition from structuralism to poststructuralism. Kristeva also inspires the master of deconstruction Derrida. The "May Storm" in 1968, the Tel Quel …

Overseas Research On Marxist Aesthetics: A Comparative Reading And Thought Construction, Song Li, Muyi Yu

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

Marxist aesthetics had a significant position in aesthetics in twentieth century China, heavily influencing China's social transformation and thought construction. In studies of Marxist aesthetics in China, it is necessary to draw on Marxist aesthetics of the West as a frame of reference and incorporate it studies of China's history of thought. With a comparative, cross-cultural approach, Liu Kang focuses on contemporary Marxist aesthetics in China or related topics. His studies have not only offered new dimensions and methodologies for studies of Marxist aesthetics in China, but also helped to construct a frame of reference and to reflect upon contemporary …

Refiguring "Philosophical Words": The Genesis Context And Classification Of Wang Chuanshan's Theory "Integrating Philosophy Into Emotions", Ningning Yang

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

"Philosophical words" in poetry has always been an important issue in classical Chinese poetics. In its complicated development process, the poetic discourse of Wang Chuanshan played the role of clarification and remodeling. From the point of view of the source, some theories of poetry, such as "the law of things" in the Song dynasty, Yan Yu's ideas of "language, thought and image", "opposing reason in favor of emotion" put forth since the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Hao Jing's idea of "the reason of poetry", Chen Baisha's idea of "using emotions to govern reason", became the context for the genesis of …

The Autonomy Of Literature And Literary Standards: A Study Of Earl Miner's Methodology Of Comparative Poetics, Jianxun Ji, Jianfeng Zhang

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

The autonomy of literature and literary standard is of great significance for Earl Miner's comparative poetics research. The former is the presupposition of Earl Miner's system of comparative poetics, and the latter its basic standard. Departing from these, Miner draws a map for the literary and poetic tradition of the West and the East, thereby redefining the essence of literature and literary genres from a comparative perspective and expounding the cultural and historical factors that have led to the difference. Key to his system, Earl Miner's assumption of literature autonomy and abidance to the literary standard in literary studies are …

The Theatre Of Purgation And The Theatre Of Cultivation: As Related To The Complex Definitions And Ramifications Of Theatre, Drama, Chinese Opera In The Context Of Chinese And Western Cultures, Huizhu (William) Sun

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

Two important aspects of western theatre have escaped the attention of most Chinese theatre people and scholars. One of them, originated from Greek tragedies full of familial killings, is a preference for the display and purgation of things unclean. This is largely incompatible with Chinese culture, in which theatre, especially Chinese opera, tends to showcase positive role models in uplifting stories. The other ignored aspect is reflected in a huge portion of western theatre that parallels the Chinese preference for moral cultivation and/or entertainment. In China theatre studies has been dominated by western discourse on serious drama, i. e. the …

Descartes's Theory Of Passion And Le Brun's Theory Of Expression: A Study Of Details Regarding The French Classicist Aesthetics During The 17Th Century, Ying Zhang

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

Charles Le Brun, the first painter of Louis XVI, delivered several speeches in the Académie royale de la peinture et du sculpture and talked about the question of expressing people's passions. He developed his own theory of expression by consulting the Les passions de l''âme by René Descartes. Some scholars think that it was Descartes who influenced essentially the classicist aesthetics of Le Brun and the académie. Others think that Le Brun radically misread Descartes, and thus they depreciate his theory of painting. This article has a different opinion: the theory of expression was formed by reforming substantially the text …

The Classical Propositions Of Ancient Opera Studies In The Historiography Of Opera In The Period Of The Republic Of China, Jingfeng Huang

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

Chinese opera historians in the first half of the 20 th century continued the discussion of the classical propositions of ancient opera studies in their historiography of traditional Chinese opera. They conducted historical criticism through reconsidering the classical propositions and appropriately placed them in the historical context, thus making it a part of historical narrative. There are four categories of classical propositions that entered into the historical studies in this period: classification, comparison, revelation of causes, story prototype tracing. The reconsideration of classical propositions has not only historiographical value, but also twofold significance at the level of opera history. On …

Ukiyo-E: How Patterns In Edo Culture Shaped "The Floating World", Vanessa Hall

BYU Asian Studies Journal

Until the seventeenth century, it was exceedingly rare to find art depicting everyday Japanese life. It was only when artists began painting scenes from the street life in Yoshiwara, the red light district in the capital city of the time, that the popular school of art known as “Ukiyo-e,” a highly fashionable style of Japanese woodblock prints, was formed (J.E.L. 1914, pp. 1–4). Emerging from an era of Chinese philosophy that was against anything Japanese, early examples of Ukiyo-e were rare until Hishikawa Moronobu discovered a way to mass-produce the art through woodblock engraving prints, which ultimately established Ukiyo-e as …

Full Issue

BYU Asian Studies Journal

No abstract provided.

China And The North Korean Refugee Crisis, Christina Ahn

BYU Asian Studies Journal

On 8 May 2002, shocking images of five North Korean refugees at a Japanese consulate in northeast China were captured. Although two members of the party—both men—successfully made it inside the consulate, two women and a child were dragged away from the gate of their safe haven by Chinese police (Gittings 2002). All five individuals were eventually detained—and though their fates remain unknown, it is likely they were immediately deported to North Korea, possibly the worst outcome for any North Korean defector.

The Joss House As An Insight Into 19th Century Chinese Immigration, Joshua Bernhard

BYU Asian Studies Journal

“From the theater we went to the principal church or joss-house,” an anonymous author wrote about the San Francisco Chinatown for the Christian Recorder in September 1875. “Up three flights of stairs, rickety, worn, and uneven, and through the dark passages full of sickening odors, I reached a dismal, dreary, mysterious, and silent worship-house of this mysterious and superstitious people. Here and there in the temple a dim taper burned, but there were no lights in the halls, stairs, and passages, and the flickering flames only added to the oppressive and, if I may so call it ghostly feeling that …

Confucius Institutes: Expelling A Trojan Horse Or Looking A Gift Horse In The Mouth?, Michael J. Swain

BYU Asian Studies Journal

During the past ten years, China has actively promoted its Confucius Institute (CI), a program of instruction in Chinese language and culture for college students outside of China. The program’s stated purpose is to meet an existing demand for education in Chinese language and culture, with the intent of strengthening relationships between China and other countries in order to promote a more harmonious world. However, many have viewed the CI program as nothing more than an expansion of Beijing’s soft power. Some Western institutions have even expelled CIs from their campuses. The growing concern suggests that China’s offering of what …

Asia Pacific Perspectives Vol. 15 No. 2, Spring/Summer 2018, University Of San Francisco

Asia Pacific Perspectives

Contents:

Editor's Introduction by Melissa S. Dale

The editor reflects on this issue's new articles, which focus on climate change as it is being experienced across Asia, and the different local responses it has provoked. From China to India to Southeast Asia, the relationship of nature to each local worldview shapes how communities view climate change, its effects, and their responses to it.

Fengshui Forests as A Socio-natural Reservoir in the Face of Climate Change and Environmental Transformation by Christopher R. Coggins and Jesse Minor

Chinese lineage villages are social-ecological systems (SESs) designed according to principles of fengshui (“wind-water”). Fengshui …

Half The Sky, Or Half A Lie? Unfulfilled Promises To Women In Republican China, Rachel Finlayson

BYU Asian Studies Journal

When the Qing dynasty fell in 1912, Chinese nationalist and communist forces fought to gain power. Both groups looked to build their base of support among the socially repressed, which included women and peasants. Thus, women’s emancipation became a central issue, and it remained primary until 1924, during an era known as the May Fourth Movement (Lan and Fong 1999, p. ix). Nationalist and communist forces both promised women better lives, in terms of education, love in marriage, value in family life, a role in the revolution and social activism, and emancipation. Mao Zedong summarized the enthusiasm of the time …

The Permanence Of The Shanghai Communiqué, David Whitesell

BYU Asian Studies Journal

Since 1949, the U.S. has had to face a major issue when interacting with China. This issue lies in the contest between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) based in mainland China and the Republic of China (ROC) based on the island of Taiwan for recognition as the legitimate government of China. Since 1979, U.S. policy has been to recognize formally the PRC as the official government of China. This recognition, which ended years of froideur between Beijing and Washington, was possible because of the previous decade of rapprochement, which was marked by the episode of “ping-pong diplomacy” in 1971, …