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School of Chinese Seminar

Deterritorialization, or Tribalization?
去疆域化，還是部落化？
Traveling Theory of Today’s Humanities in English Language
英語人文學界的理論旅行

Speaker: Professor Liu Kang

Date & Time: 17:00, 14 May, 2024
Venue: Room 7.30, Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU

Post-Theory of the Western Left was born in the upheavals of radical political movements of the 1960s, and retreated to the academic ivory tower in the 1970s. Then over the last four decades from the 1980s to the present, theory in the English-speaking humanities has undergone“deterritorialization”or transgression from academic discourse to the center stage of Anglo-American socio-political life, deeply embroiled in the political and ideological polarization and tribalization. Postcolonial studies and attendant race, gender and ethnicity studies participate in the political and social movements of the identity politics and discourses of political correctness, and congregate with nationalist-populist waves sweeping across the globe.

半個世紀來，歐美思想界形成的左翼「後學」理論，源自於 1960年代的歐美激進社會政治運動，1970年代末期退隱入學院象牙塔。歷經1980年代至今的四十年孵化蛻變，理論從英語人文學術界越界，走過了從學術論述「去疆域化」到深深捲入英美社會的意識形態兩極化和部落化的理論旅行。後殖民理論麾下的種族、族裔研究、性別研究等機構，透過大眾媒體、網路、中小學教材等管道，使學術論述廣泛、迅速地通俗化，與反種族主義、女性主義和LGBTQ群體的社會運動緊密結合。認同政治和政治正確的論述與民族主義-民粹主義思潮相互推波助瀾，形成了今日世界的混亂局面。

Liu Kang is Professor of Chinese Studies, and Director of Duke Program of Research on China at Duke University. Professor Liu is Elected Member of Academia Europaea (The Academy of Europe) since 2015. He is the author of twelve books, and written widely in scholarly journals in both English and Chinese. In addition, He frequently contributes in the forms of op-eds, interviews, reviews, to American and Chinese print media and the internet media, on issues ranging from contemporary Chinese media and culture, globalization, to Marxism and aesthetics. His research covers Chinese Studies, cultural and media studies, comparative literature, political science, and international relations.

ALL are welcome