China’s Cultural Challenges – Before and Now
Abstract:
Chinese contemporary culture still struggles with the aftermath of a traumatic experience: The fundamental change of cultural patterns und values following the encounter with Western imperialistic powers and its culture during 19th and 20th century. The result are loss of its own cultural traditions and great uncertainty about today’s Chinese cultural identity. For more than 150 years for the greater part of the Chinese elite (political and cultural) the only way out was unconditional ""modernisation'", what meant completely copying only partly understood western models (democratic, socialist, capitalist etc.) and negating and destroying its own cultural past. Cultural Revolution, during which the Chinese destroyed much of their still existing cultural heritage was only the most radical step in that long story.
After the failure of the Maoist modernisation experiment Western social and cultural patterns again became unquestioned and attractive models for Chinese youth, but his faded away after June 4th and was replaced by consumerism and nationalism as main ideological trends. In this context, Michael Kahn-Ackermann will mention the complicated relationship between official and unofficial culture, the role of censorship, and the functions of the internet in the cultural field.
About the Speaker:
Michael Kahn-Ackermann, born 1946 in Bavaria, Germany, is former Regional Director of Goethe-Institut China and serves currently as special consultant of Confucius Institute Headquarter.
From 1981 to 2011, Michael Kahn-Ackermann worked for the Goethe-Institut. In 1988, he became founding director of the Goethe-Institut Peking, the first western cultural institute in China. Later his engagements brought him to Moscow as Regional Director East-Europe and to Rome as Regional Director Italy of Goethe-Institute. In 2006, he returned to Beijing as Regional Director of the Goethe-Institut China. From 2007 to 2010 he directed the event series „China and Germany - Moving ahead together“. Since 2011, Kahn-Ackermann works as special consultant of China’s Confucius-Institute’s headquarters and as special China representative of Germany’s Stiftung-Mercator-Foundation. Besides he continues to translate and to write. His special interests are theory and practice of intercultural exchange, China’s contemporary culture and art, especially contemporary Chinese ink-art, where he has curated several exhibitions in China and abroad. Kahn-Ackermann lives in Nanjing.
1970-75, study of Sinology, Economics and Political Science at Munich University. 1975-77, first stay in China as student at Beijing University (Modern Chinese History). Since 1977, a total stay of 18 years in China. Translation of literary texts of contemporary Chinese writers such as Zhang Jie, Mo Yan, Liu Zhenyun; occupation with theory and praxis of intercultural encounter; co-author of text book for German for Chinese students (“Goals”). Kahn-Ackermann’s considerable publications include the book “China, drinnen vor der Tür”, 1979. (Engl. “China, inside the outer door”)
This lecture is free of charge. Please sign up before the lecture using the link below (last day for registration is Thursday May 7, 2015):