VENUE: Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Romania
DATE: 12-14 May 2015
CONTEXT:
The year 2014 marks the 10th anniversary of Confucius Institutes worldwide and 65 years of Romanian-Chinese diplomatic relations. In fact, Romanian-Chinese relations can be traced as far back as three centuries ago, notwithstanding a remarkable revival during the past decade due to HANBAN initiative of setting up Confucius Institutes worldwide – with numberless cultural, economic and diplomatic connections. In the present age of globalization and increased interdependency – educational, cultural, economic, technological – scholars have become acutely aware that living in a multipolar world requires informed, thorough and unbiased understanding endorsed by enhanced awareness of "otherness" as prerequisites for connectivity and creativity.
In the wake of such landmarks, based on China's rise as a major global player and drawing on the recent studies of geostrategy, including Niall Ferguson's theory of the rise and fall of civilizations, the main goals of the conference will be: identifying new opportunities and avenues for further Romanian / European - Chinese development; mapping China's imagine and reception in Romania, in particular, and Europe, in general; exploring and tapping on the most recent development in the fields under investigation on the basis of an interdisciplinary academic perspective. This Conference represents a breakthrough project that aims to promote the sustainable development of Confucius Institutes in European context as well as respond to HANBAN initiative of launching the "Confucius China Studies Program" which encourages and supports scholarly interaction and academic dialogue.
CONFERENCE TRACKS:
a) cultural studies and intercultural communication
b) literary and translation studies
c) international economics: trade and finance
d) history, sociology, anthropology and spirituality / religion
e) science and technology
f) diplomacy, political science and international relations
CONFERENCE TOPICS: The Conference will mainly address, though not limited, to the following topics:
- Identity and imagology: China's image as reflected in the fictional discourse: novels, memoirs, travelogue (characters, stereotypes, myths, etc)
- Linguistics: a study of China's image as reflected in Romanian language, e.g. idioms and sui-generis lexical constructs
- Literary interactions: translations, reception of Chinese literature
- Anthropology and spirituality: Interactions between Eastern Orthodox spirituality and the traditional Chinese culture and civilization; symbolism in Chinese philosophy and contemporary echoes; Orthodoxy in China / Missionaries in China
- History: UNESCO world heritage sites in Romania and China
- Recent theories and models of cultural and public diplomacy – vectors of soft power in a global world
- International relations: geostrategies for Eurasian relations
- Education: Confucius Institutes worldwide – best practices; the role and evolution of Confucius Institutes in Romania / Europe
- Economics: an investigation of the political, economic and international characteristics of China's development over the past three decades; exploring current Romanian / European – Chinese bilateral economic relations
- Science and technology: Chinese inventions and their transfer to the West
Conference Chairpersons:
Dr. Xu Lin – Director General Hanban
Prof. Ph.D. Cui Xiliang – President of Beijing Language and Culture University
Prof. Sc.D. Constantin Oprean – Chairman of the CI Board and President of the University Senate
Prof. Sc.D. Ioan Bondrea – Rector, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu
Organizing Committee:
| LBUS |
Eva-Nicoleta
Burdusel Camelia Oprean Daniela Preda Andrei Terian Ovidiu Matiu Iulia Gita |
BLCU | Song
Shaofeng Liu Qian Li Caiyue Zhang Bei Zhao Qi Zhang Yinzhou Yu Guoning Li Li Ma Jun |
Scientific Committee:
Prof. Cui Xiliang – Beijing Language and Culture University
Prof. Ioan Bondrea – Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu
Prof. Constantin Oprean – Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu
Prof. Zhang Baojun – Beijing Language and Culture University
Prof. Liu Ke – Beijing Language and Culture University
Prof. Jia Lieying – Beijing Language and Culture University
Prof. Ding Chao – Beijing Foreign Studies Unviersity
Assoc. Prof. Andrei Terian – Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu
Assoc. Prof. Camelia Oprean – Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu
Assoc. Prof. Eva-Nicoleta Burdusel – Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu