Dr Zhou Mingying (who has been a Richard Burton Fellow working on the Raymond Williams papers at Swansea University) has written a report on a Raymond Williams that took place at Shaanxi Normal University. Some of those involved with speak at the Raymond Williams in China symposium on October 27th.
Retrospection and Transcendence: Raymond Williams Centenary and Travel of Cultural Studies
The Symposium was jointly hosted by Center for the Research of Literary and Cultural Theory of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Journal of Theory and Criticism of Literature and Art and School of Chinese Language and Literature of Shaanxi Normal University. Around 35 scholars from many famous Chinese universities and research institutes attended the gathering on the campus of Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an. They shared their studies on Raymond Williams from their distinct points of view to commemorate this prestigious Western Marxist together.
The symposium began at 9:00, 25th of September. Professor Su Zhongle ,Dean of School of Chinese Language and Literature, Shaanxi Normal Univeristy, Professor Cheng Wei, Dean of Institute of Foreign Literature, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Professor Lu Taiguang, Deputy Director of Institute of Marxist Literary Theory, Chinese National Academy of Arts, gave their respective speech in the opening ceremony. Dean Su reviewed Raymond Williams’ important position in Marxist history as well as in literary history, especially Williams Leftist stance in the domain of cultural studies that promoted the popular culture of the ordinary people. Director Cheng talked about the changing historical subjects of Marxists in the different historical contexts, and then warned against “the unconscious” embedded in the texts when studying western scholars. Whereas, Director Lu made an introspection of the studies in humanities and social sciences in China and made a positive view about the symposium in Raymond Williams studies as well as Western Marxist studies in China. The symposium comprised five sessions, with each session focusing on different topics, ranging from the discussions on the concept of “community” and “structure of feelings”, to the translation and introduction of Williams’ works in China, and even to the textual analysis of Williams’ fiction. In the closing ceremony, Prof. Xu Delin, on behalf of Center for the Research of Literature and Theory, Chinese Academy of Social Science, expressed deep gratitude to Dean Su Zhongle for hosting such a meaningful and memorable symposium and to the scholars from different parts of China for attending the academic gathering despite the covid-19 pandemic. Prof. Xu further pointed out that the British Marxists since 1970’s were worth our attention and the current China also needed such neo-Marxists like Raymond Williams.
