14th AICCS | Thematic Panel V | Social Practices & Cultural Dimensions

Chair: B. R. Deepak, Professor, Centre for Chinese and South East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Speakers:
Subham Dutraj, PhD Candidate, Sikkim University, Gangtok.
“Confucianism in Application: Retracing the Evolution of Confucian Ideals and Its Practical Implementation in Contemporary Chinese Society”
The central argument presented in this paper is that Confucianism has long transcended its status of being just a political system of philosophy, and has permeated deep into the complex matrix of mainland China’s national character and identity. The study would attempt to retrace the evolutionary trajectory of Confucianism from theory into praxis, and examine its application in various aspects of contemporary Chinese society, including political and economic initiatives, cultural practices, and societal trends. The research investigation would employ the historical method of critical analysis here.

Subhendu Ghosal, PhD Candidate & Guest Faculty, Cheena Bhavana, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan.
“Voice of Netizens: Understanding China in the New Era”
Newly coined words and expression are formed beyond the boundaries of conventional linguistic regulation and are full of profound social and cultural connotations, which render it necessary to make an inquiry into these terminologies because it offers an ocean of potential for understanding the rooted socio-cultural aspects of present China. Interestingly many occasions these newly coined terminologies face severe censorship of the govt but to everyone’s surprise the netizens continue to create innovative ways to express their views, and this race continues. In this paper I will be discussing on 10 newly coined such words or terminologies and its origin which came into popular use in recent few years. The investigation will unveil much the constant change in the Chinese society and people’s response to it.

Nishit Kumar, PhD Candidate, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; ICS-HYI Fellow (2018).
“Mo Yan as China’s Cultural Capital: Why and How”
In 2012, China’s quest for a Nobel Prize in Literature came to an end when Mo Yan was awarded the Literature Nobel; the Nobel Committee in its citation commended Mo Yan for his hallmark style of hallucinatory realism that fused folktales, history and the contemporary. As was to be expected, the Chinese government and the people, especially in the literary and academic circle, celebrated this as a long overdue honor for Chinese literature. It was also mentioned in the media, before and after the award that considering the rising international stature of China as a strong political power it was time that the award of Literature Nobel was bestowed on a Chinese writer. Though, this award to Mo Yan brought its own share of controversies both at home and abroad, this seemed like a perfect opportunity for the Chinese state to use this achievement for enhancement of its image. In this context, this paper will try to explore the question whether or not Mo Yan could be successfully used by China as cultural capital, if so to what extent

Madhurendra Jha, Assistant Professor, Department of Chinese Studies, School of Languages, Doon University, Dehradun.
“Involution or Alienation? Visiting the Issue through Revisiting Jia Zhangke’s ‘Hometown Trilogy’”
If “involution” is the issue the urban youth of China is facing in a highly commercialized and competitive China of today, then “dispiritedness” seems to be its symptom and “lying flat-ism” seems to be the cure being adopted by the “dispirited” youth. With such sociological issues being the talk of the town, these questions naturally arise, is “involution” a new issue that the Chinese urban youth is encountering today? Or “involution” in itself is yet another symptom of a larger issue, which is alienation? My inquiry into these questions make me turn towards another form of popular media, that is films. To find the answers I propose to take up the works of Jia Zhangke, an auteur of the “sixth generation”, the central theme of whose work I describe as “the desultory wanderings of the alienated souls”.

Discussant: Amrit Sen, Professor, Department of English, Bhasha Bhavana (Institute of Languages, Literature & Culture), Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan.