Table of Content

15 January 2010, Volume 17 Issue 1

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Articles

Three Problems in Cultural Studies——Taking as the Study Case

2010, 17(1):  5-17. 

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In China' s mainland, as a largescaled movement of learning and ideology, cultural studies didn' t commence actually until the late 1990s and the early 20th century. And up to 2004, there was a "boom of cultural studies", which still continues. Chiefly, there are two reasons for this: first, the requirement of system operation for research or academy; secondly, the stimulation of social reality. In a sense, the latter is more important and more complex. It was in this context that, in Shanghai, not only the research and teaching of cultural studies but also the accompanying academic system operation started out one after the other. In 2001, Shanghai University established the Center for China' s Contemporary Cultural Studies, which is the first institute of cultural studies in China' s mainland. And during the subsequent four years, the similar institutions were gradually established in all the other universities in Shanghai. Those scholars, who were interested in cultural studies and came from such circles as literature, history, sociology, anthropology, and mass media, were admitted into the institutions, but maybe there was an overlap. In the course of these studies, arise a series of problems both in theory and practice. The first problem concerns about the relation between cultural studies and existing university systems. On the one hand, cultural studies are against any systems; and on the other hand, China' s existing systems are relatively unchanged. Therefore, the scholars, while helplessly squeezing into the existing university systems, try hard to develop and maintain the "interdisciplinarity" of cultural studies, thus the "production mechanism of contemporary dominant culture" as well as the interactional relation between this culture and that period of the history of "socialism" being defined the main target of the current cultural studies in China' s mainland. If we want to outline this kind of methodology, the "double lines" may be proper, that is, the "critical analysis" and the "promotive intervention", or, borrowing from two political terms in 1950s, the "destroying" and the "establishing". These two are interdependent, supplementing each other. In the next place, it is by what means that we can, continuing to concern about the urban culture, pay more attention to the countryside culture so as to mend the relation between the teaching of cultural studies and the social improvement. Finally, it is how to maintain the native characteristics of cultural studies in China' s mainland. Of course, the most important for this is to face the Chinese daily experience and draw from the rich resources of the Chinese revolutionary ideology and practical history. In other words, it is by virtue of daily life experiences that we can inherit the rich memories of the "Chinese Revolution" and pursue for the oppressive structure of internal reality.

"In Itself" or "For Itself": Middle Class and Class Consciousness

2010, 17(1):  18-28. 

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"In Itself" or "For Itself":
Abstract： For the theories of middle class in Western countries, there is a presupposition that middle class, as a stratum or group that takes shape in the development of the Western industrial business and citizen society, has a similar self-assessment, value orientation, life style, psychological characteristic and market capacity, thus playing an important role both in market orientation and in the stabilization and development of society. This essay, instead of repeatedly considering middle class as the "stabilizer", "balance" and "buffer", takes a perspective of class consciousness and class responsibility. The author thinks that, since the transformation of modern society, the differentiation, combination and development of middle class has made itself full of contradiction, heterogeneity and complexity. At that time, it is not the "class-for-itself". But, with the development of modernization, and with the diversification stimulated by market economy of stakeholders, political aspiration and value orientation, middle class begins to change, not only becoming a complex variable for group consciousness and behavior orientation in social reality, but also turning into an important variable for the relation between the stabilization and development of social order. Moreover, with different political and cultural backgrounds of countries, it has different connotations and characteristics. Therefore, middle class can not form a unified class consciousness, nor hardly constitute a class of political maturity. If there is not a positive interaction and mutual configuration of state and society, and not a win-win cooperation of other classes, it is difficult for middle class to become an important function system in the sound operation and coordinated development of modern social order.

Conscience Mechanism in the Perspective of Evaluation Theory

2010, 17(1):  29-44. 

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Conscience Mechanism in the Perspective of Evaluation Theory(School of Social Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China)Abstract： Conscience, as a core concept in Kant's philosophical system, should occupy a prominent position in Kant's philosophy. This is because: first, conscience is "a judgment formed by one for self"; secondly, conscience is based on good will; thirdly, conscience produces respect sentiments for moral principles by way of compulsory consciousness. Hegel discusses conscience from these three aspects: conscience is "a universal self-reflection"; conscience is "an absolute selfconfidence within behavioral agents"; conscience is the "only thing restricting oneself". While human beings act as social animals, conscience is a psychological mechanism formed by the operation of social norms on human beings. Individual conscience is a kind of internalization, both of social basic norms and of social basic values. Therefore, conscience can be considered both as the social basic norms or social basic values of individual patterns, and as the individual patterns of social "conscience". The social norms in the pattern of conscience are not specific but basic, displaying social rationality and spiritual faith. Conscience has four levels: compassion, shame, humility and rightandwrong. And the last also contains two levels: the acceptance of facts and the pursuit of justice. Conscience works by way of emotion. Socalled "uneasiness of conscience" is actually "moral disturbance", because conscience takes peace as pleasure and uneasiness as affliction; In individual selfevaluation, conscience often works by way of uneasiness or condemnation, thus making the individual immersed in some sort of emotional pain. The uneasiness or condemnation of conscience within individuals actually embodies the uneasiness or condemnation of social subjects on individual behaviors. The evaluation activity carried by individuals with the standard of conscience is doublelined: both the selfevaluation of individuals and the evaluation of society on individuals, that is, the one of taking individuals' selfevaluation as a unique form. While the evaluation of society on individuals turns into individuals' selfevaluation, individuals take a unique form of selfevaluation to embody the evaluation of society on individuals. This is the theoretical evaluation mechanism of conscience uneasiness or condemnation. As for confession, it is a specific form of selfevaluation. And very often, it is by way of confession that conscience expresses uneasiness or condemnation. Many wellknown persons in history possess a deep sense of confession.

Chineseness and Taiwan Image in Qiong Yao Movies

2010, 17(1):  45-54. 

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 The influence of Qiong Yao' s film on Taiwan's film history has not been giving a full confirmation in critics. Also in the studies of Chineselanguage films, scholars' research for Taiwan's film history often shows a leap, directly from the early Taiwaneselanguage film through the healthy realist film to Taiwan's new film, ignoring Qiong Yao' s drama that has once created a boxoffice miracle in 1960s and 1970s. In fact, Qiong Yao's film is important, not only because it helps Taiwan' s film open a distinctive type of melodrama, thus inheriting a strong popular tradition of commercial films that has been developing since the incept of the film, but also because it interprets, by using a mode of popular melodrama, China' s traditional ethics, thus playing an enlightening, appeasing role in the society. It has always been the tradition of China' s film to trace the history of the Chinese cinema and combine the form of popular melodrama with the Chinese ethics, politics and cultural reflection. The usage of popular melodrama in Qiong Yao' s film not only displays its strong roots in traditional Chinese films, but also indicates its close relation to the traditional Chinese culture. Besides, Qiong Yao' s film, while describing the romantic love kingdom, also refracts Taiwan' s image of an era. In Taiwan' s film history, Qiong Yao's film sets off two longer viewingbooms. And in these two periods, its story background, character relationship, plot setting and so on produce relatively a definite change, which reflects the changing time of Taiwan's society and the changing idea of Taiwan' s people.

The Historical Footprint of China's Film Blockbuster Production

2010, 17(1):  55-65. 

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 The emergence of the "blockbuster" or "big film" and the birth of these two concepts can be traced back to the History of Hollywood in the mid70s of the 20th century or even earlier. After the Paramount Case was decided, the environment of film production changed a lot. Facing this situation as well as the universal coverage of the TV, Hollywood produced such films as "BenHur", "The Sound of Music" and "Cleopatra" in 1950s and 1960s, which were strategic products to compete, thus establishing a blockbuster pattern that is characteristic of wide screen, stereo, high investment, grand scene and superstars. Up to the mid70s, with the increasing importance of marketing and digital technology in the film industry, a film called the "high concept" by Justin Wyatt appeared. Since that, a commercial operation mode of the "big investment, big production, big marketing and big market" was determined, and was carried forward in such films of the "high concept" as "Jaws", "Star Wars" and "Jurassic Park". In China, the production of blockbusters is also vital for the system of the Chinese film industry. After a period of four phases, that is, the initiation in 1950s and 1960s, the allround development in 1990s, the international operation in the new century and the new development of mainstream culture, the production of China' s blockbusters has been steadily increasing and achieved excellent results. But, compared with Hollywood' s blockbusters of the "high concept", the insufficiency of the "big marketing" and the lack of high technique are two important factors constraining the development of China' s blockbusters. In the future, it is necessary for China' s blockbusters to attach importance to the establishment of core values, the diversified, multitype construction, and the application and development of digital hightech. 

Discourse Construction of Mainstream Blockbusters and the Ecological Proposition of China' s Films

2010, 17(1):  66-79. 

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The current blockbusters in China, viewed from the perspective of cultural ecology or ecological criticism, is no doubt able to get a more popular values and a more effective way of speech. And it is based on the theoretical premises of film ecology and ecological criticism that the relations can be put forward between mainstream and nonmainstream, blockbusters and small films, and production and consumption of mainstream blockbusters, and that it is expected to, on the level of active adaptation, coordinated interaction and trying innovation, search for mainstream blockbusters the rationality of existence and the basis for moving forward. On the whole, it is necessary to, in the active adaptation and mutual transformation of mainstream films and nonmainstream films, construct gradually a fair, balanced ecofilm in China. If nonmainstream films are ignored or eliminated, mainstream films will lose their healthy body and innovative vigor. Under the background of pluralistic globalization, and in the context of unique Chinese films, domestic blockbusters imply a large number of complex motivations, specific processes and rich details. Both simple argument of rightandwrong and abstract judgment of values are not desirable. It is the inescapable responsibility and mission for blockbuster discourses to have a specific probe into their living condition and ecological status. Correspondingly, mainstream blockbusters are not only to link themselves to China' s overall cultural environment of films, but also to have a common dialogue and exchange between politicians, entrepreneurs, scholars, media and audience, in order to, based on all this, have an innovation in the production and consumption of China' s mainstream blockbusters and make the Chinese film onto an ecological, balanced road of healthy development.

The Narrative and Ideology of Domestic Blockbusters

2010, 17(1):  80-87. 

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As a special kind of cultural, artistic product, the film can not avoid its ideological characteristics. The question only lies in how to convey ideology. When domestic blockbusters try to, by way of dazzling visual spectacle and superstar lineup, stimulate audience' s audiovisual sensory so as to achieve ideological objects, we may ignore a fact that image narrative is the most effective means of conveying ideology. For the effective conveyance of ideology, more is completed by way of effective narrative. From the level of creation, if the importance of film narrative is ignored, it is possible for the film to become an ideological mouthpiece, thus being reduced to an abstract, didactic tool. Either from "Hero" to "The Promise", or from "Curse of the Golden Flower" to "The Banquet", all these domestic blockbusters, behind the narrative form of omniscient narrative or authoritative narrative, display a cultural connotation of "imperial" narrative or "divine" narrative as far as the text is concerned. "Assembly" not only means the transformation of theme or genre in domestic blockbusters, that is, the transformation from costume swordsmen to modern warfare, but also, in a narrative sense, displays an attempt by directors to break authoritative narrative, instead of concerning, from the perspective of civilians, about the fate of individual characters, thus developing a mode of the Chinese war film defined by conventional discourses. Very often, in China' s films, film narrative is not a simple narrative related to the film text but a reflection of film text on sociocultural Pantext. The domestic blockbuster marked by "Assembly"，through the efforts of the film narrative, plays an important role in changing the paradox relation between ticket sale and mouth word, and commerce and quality. It has become the key to actually do so for domestic blockbusters to construct a positive, interactive relation between the demand of mainstream ideology, the need of popular cultural psychology and the expression of creators' image or narrative.

The Philosophical Basis of Marxist Aesthetics and Its Understanding of the Time——An Argument about the Debate on the "Aesthetics of Practical Existence"

2010, 17(1):  88-106. 

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  In recent years, a debate on "practical ontology" or "practical existence" has been going on in such fields as philosophy, aesthetics and literary theories, thus forming two kinds of clearly oppositional standpoints of actively promoting and firmly opposing, and main representatives including Zhu Liyuan and Dong Xuewen. The debate actually concerns about how to understand the essence of Marxism, and what kind of basis of Marx' s philosophy our aesthetics and literary theories should be based on. In the context of the time, the aesthetics of "practical ontology" or "practical existence" aim at, under the general background of the transformation of philosophical thinking today, getting through the interlinkages between "practice turning" and "existence turning". But Dong Xuewen' s expression of basic standpoints in the aesthetic debate of "practical existence" uncovers his deficiencies in major theoretical issues. Understanding of this point will be helpful in getting rid of misreading of Marx' s philosophy and aesthetics, which is, for a long time, enshrouded by the traditional thinkingway of metaphysics. In this way, we can reinterpret and reunderstand Marx' s practical viewpoint of aesthetics in the text of the time. By denying the aesthetics of "practical existence", Dong Xuewen puts forward his own understanding of Marxist basic principles, which is just a directrepeat or rereiterate of the official, orthodox Marxism of Sovietpattern. It is the thorough monism of dialectical materialism. From the perspective of ontology, its theoretical expression of primary substance or material uniformity, is actually a traditional material substance ontology; and from the perspective of epistemology, its theoretical expression of consciousness being the active reflection of the objective material world, is actually a correspondence epistemology of subjectobject dichotomy; and from the perspective of axiology, its theoretical expression of the objective reflection or recognition of  truth, is actually an objective, neutral, scientific positivism. As an inflexible theoreticalthinking or knowledgepatterns, Marxism of Sovietpattern parasitizes or roots in the tradition of modern metaphysical thought. Therefore，it is a duty for the theoretical scholar to get rid of the dense fog of metaphysics, and go further to get rid of the longterm shroud of Sovietpattern. And "practical existence aesthetics", just in this context, displays a unique theoreticalmeaning and contextualconnotation: really getting rid of the tendency of the practical ontology and the shroud of traditional metaphysics, and opening its theoretical context of postmetaphysics. The theoretical resources and basic ideas are to getting through the linkage in the theoretical horizon between "practical philosophy" and "existential philosophy". In detail, it tries to, between Marx' s practical philosophy and Heidegger' s existential philosophy, establish a sort of domain fusion in dialogue so as to display the implication of the time of "practical turning" and "existential turning" in the context of postmetaphysics.

Is It Marx' s Aesthetic Idea, the "Labor Creates Beauty"?

2010, 17(1):  107-114. 

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The Achievement of Selecting and Saving the Edo Poetry in Dongying Poems

2010, 17(1):  115-122. 

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 Dongying Poems, compiled by a famous scholar Yu Yue in the Guangxu years of the Qing dynasty, is a largescale general collection of Japanese Hanpoetry selected from the Chinese perspective. The book has multiple meanings in history. On the one hand, it is the first anthology of Japanese Hanpoetry selected by the Chinese scholar in China; and on the other hand, it is actually the first official general collection in the Japanese history, not only of the earliest publishing date but also of the largest publishing scale. At the same time, Yu Yue writes a number of precise and appropriate comments. What' s more, by virtue of Yu Yue' s unique perspective, the book includes many excellent poems, which are unfortunately ignored by Japanese critics, not only at that time but also at the present. Especially, the book includes many excellent poems of the Edo Period still completely forgotten by Japanese. After the Meiji Restoration, because of Japan' s contempt for its own Han literature as well as other reasons, many collections of the Han poetry Yu Yue read at that time are now hard to find a trace. Therefore, Dongying Poems also plays a role in saving the documents of the Japanese Han literature. Even the Japanese scholar has to use it as the essential book for the research for the Japanese Han literature, not to say Chinese scholars. As the time goes by, this merit and significance of Dongying Poems will be even more clearly. Despite there are insufficiencies for compiling the book, the socalled shortcoming of the "selecting the improper poems", basically speaking, does not exist. Even as far as this is concerned, the book shows its excellence.

The Reflection and Choice of the Development in China' s Current Criminology Ontology

2010, 17(1):  123-134. 

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 China' s criminology displays a structural vacancy in fundamental tasks such as subject property, study objects and methods, as well as applied value. This congenital deficiency in the ontological construction of criminology subject has become a hidden danger for the development of criminology, not only making the study of criminology unable to meet the urgent demand of modern society, especially the crime control in China' s transition of society, but also producing a urgent sense of crisis in the circle of criminology. Therefore, in recent years, a deeper discussion has been made, which is both the reflection on the subject situation of China' s criminology, and the consideration of how to have its ontological construction in criminology for a period of social transition. And the reflection and consideration are inevitable in the disciplinary development. At present, it is vital for criminology to overcome the loose state of ontological study and establish a clear object of development of ontological construction. All these can help to understand and grasp, from a deeper level of subjects, the path choice of criminology in development.

The Variation, Continuance and Evolution of Traditional Academics inthe Modern Time——An Overview of the International Symposium on the Traditional Chinese Academic Transformation in the Modern Time

2010, 17(1):  135-144. 

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 In order to promote an indepth study of traditional Chinese academic transformation, Shanghai University' s History Department and Research Center of Ancient Civilization hold an international symposium on the traditional Chinese academic transformation. The participant scholars, centering on a series of topics such as the cause, path and method of academic transformation, the transformation of Confucian classics in the modern time, "debate on the Chinese ancient history" and the modern historiography, the Chinese national culture and the Chinese and Western academics, modern historians'  academics and ideology, and the academics in the Qing dynasty, have a discussion. The holding of this symposium is significant for traditional academics at home and abroad to break the barrier between the ancient and the modern, to promote a direct dialogue of scholars who have different research fields and directions, and to impel an indept study of the Chinese academic history in the modern time.