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School of Chinese Scholar Seminar

從歐洲宗教改革的角度論中國天主教的聖母
The Chinese Catholic Madonna Conceived from the Perspective of Europe’s Reformation

分享嘉賓 Speaker:
Prof. CHEN Hui-hung 陳慧宏 教授
(Department of History, NTU)

主持人 Moderator:
Prof. SONG Gang 宋剛 教授
(School of Chinese, HKU)

日期時間 Date & Time: January 15, 2026 (Thu) 16:00-17:30pm (HKT)
語言 Language: Mandarin 普通話/國語
地點 Venue: CRT-4.36, 4/F, Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU

授課模式 Delivery Mode: Face-to-face & Online

報名 Registration:
https://hku.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6zHDx5UG6X97wDI

摘要 Abstract:
源於16-17世紀耶穌會傳教中的天主聖母，一般視為是中國天主教聖母形象和信仰發展的開始，其文化調適的現象備受關注。然在共時的歷史脈絡中，天主教當時也正面臨著歐洲宗教改革 (Reformation) 的變動，聖母瑪利亞更是爭議中的關鍵人物。以宗教改革的南部日耳曼地區為例，大量滲入民間信仰的聖母和聖徒崇拜，如何在對抗新教的強力批評中再度被定義和轉型，已有學者研究，而這個轉型實與耶穌會傳教中天主聖母之文化調適，同步發展。在思考中國天主教文化調適的表象下，本演講試圖呈現，利用宗教改革相關議論進行比對思考，可以幫助更深入理解廣泛流通海外但又具高度彈性的天主聖母，其形象或其教義。再者，本人近期研究顯示，耶穌會日中傳教區的圖像資料可以對應宗教改革圖像辯護的一環。這個宗教改革與海外傳教的共時對照，亦希望呼應近來全球史的取向—如何在世界文化的高度下，思考文化互動的交流或共享，這似乎是全球化現象解釋的方式之一，但也呈現另類挑戰：究竟是運用全球化角度來思考歷史發展的跨區關聯，還是全球化的解讀反而挑戰了文化調適的研究方法？

The image and cult of the Virgin Mary, introduced by Jesuit missionaries in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, are generally regarded as the starting point of Marian devotion and iconography in Chinese Catholicism. This phenomenon of cultural adaptation has attracted much scholarly attention. Yet, within the contemporaneous context of the European Reformation, Catholicism itself was undergoing radical transformation, and the Virgin Mary stood at the heart of religious controversy. Taking southern German regions as an example, where popular devotion to Mary and the saints had deeply penetrated local religious life, scholars have explored how these practices were redefined and transformed in response to Protestant critiques. This redefinition paralleled the Jesuits’ strategies of cultural accommodation in their overseas missions. By situating the Chinese Catholic Madonna within the discourse of Reformation debates, this talk seeks to demonstrate how comparative analysis can deepen our understanding of the Virgin’s globally circulating yet highly adaptable forms—both in image and in doctrine. Recent research also suggests that visual materials from Jesuit missions in Japan and China can be correlated with the iconographic defenses developed during the Reformation. This synchronic comparison between the Reformation and the global missionary enterprise resonates with current trends in global history. It raises a key question: should we employ globalization as a framework to trace cross-regional connections in historical development, or does the lens of globalization itself challenge the very methodology of cultural accommodation?

講者簡介 About the Speaker:
陳慧宏  臺灣大學歷史學系學士和藝術史研究所碩士、後於美國布朗大學獲藝術暨建築史系博士，現為臺灣大學歷史學系教授兼系主任。專長領域為近代歐洲藝術文化與海外擴張史、耶穌會研究、基督宗教與世界史、和明清中西文化交流。近些年完成耶穌會與聖母傳播的世界史研究，其特色在於具體呈現跨域視野的思考，並呼應歐洲史和全球史對相關議題和文化交流關注的討論。

CHEN Hui-hung received her B.A. in History and M.A. in Art History from NTU, and her Ph.D. in the History of Art and Architecture from Brown University (U.S.). She is currently Professor and Chair of the Department of History at NTU. Her research interests include early modern European art and culture, the history of overseas expansion, Jesuit studies, Christianity and global history, and Ming–Qing cultural interactions. In recent years, her work on the global history of Jesuit Marian imagery has concretely presented a cross-regional perspective of inquiry, resonating with ongoing discussions in European and global historiography concerning related issues and cultural exchanges.

Notice:
1) The seminar will be conducted primarily in a face-to-face mode; Those who cannot attend the seminar in-person could apply for online participation (via Zoom);
2) All those who would like to attend the seminar are required to register online (Click HERE) on a first-come, first-served basis;
3) Email of confirmation will be sent to the registered email addresses and participants have to show the screenshot or print-out version of the email for entry of the seminar venue;
4) Walk-in or late-comers will not be allowed for entry of the seminar venue unless situation allows.

 
ALL are welcome*
*Pre-registration (Click HERE) is required.