China Studies Centre, The University of Sydney
The CSC International Research Webinar Series
Date: Wednesday 3 November 2021
Time: 7:00PM–8:00PM AEDT
Location: Online
This seminar is free and open to the public!
This talk draws on Chinese and Western traditions of thought to propose a pluralist relational approach to the study of China, the world, and relations therein. The Western-centrism of our most common approaches to the study of China in the world is increasingly recognised as a problem, because its divisions and marginalisation of non-Western others devalues those others and their concerns. It is well established that this type of thinking, where an imagined we takes priority over an imagined them, has been complicit in both symbolic and physical violence, not least in the form of empire and colonialism. One Chinese response to this Western-centrism has been to suggest that China has a better set of ideas, concepts, and values for thinking about both China, the world, and relationships therein. Concepts derived from pre-modern Chinese thought are said to offer a ready-made and superior alternative to the violence of Western-centric theory. Just as Western-centric approaches dismiss or marginalise Chinese thought, so too do Sino-centric approaches dismiss Western thought. The dilemma is that we must live and act, and theorise, in a shared world. Even if we think of these diverse traditions as embodying multiple worlds, we need a language to bridge those worlds. In this talk, I outline a terminology that can help us rethink this bridging of Western and Chinese traditions. I suggest that we can approach the problem differently, if instead of beginning our thinking by positing two separate things that first exist and then meet (or indeed fail to meet), we start with relations. A key challenge and opportunity for such an approach is to resist the urge for homogeneity, and to maintain space for a plurality of open futures and trajectories.
About the speaker
Professor Astrid Nordin holds the Lau Chair of Chinese International Relations in the Lau China Institute, King’s College London. Astrid’s research develops critical conceptual tools that draw on Chinese and other global traditions of thought, and uses these to understand global challenges as they relate to China’s growing global role – from the Belt and Road Initiative, through sustainable cities, to practices of censorship and resistance. Her favourite thing about her job is learning new things from exciting people, and she welcomes suggestions for collaboration relating to her expertise.