Professor Sun Dehong from our school recently published an article titled Value Recognition: The International Communication of Shared Human Values and Aesthetics: A Case Study of the Overseas Dissemination and Reception of Chinese Literature in Social Sciences in China (English Edition), Iss. 3, 2024. The article delves into the important role of international communication in promoting cultural exchange and mutual learning, and proposes key pathways to achieve this goal.
In his paper, Sun Dehong points out that international communication should fundamentally aim at promoting the exchange and mutual learning of civilizations, achieving a transformation from “cultural clashes” to “civilizational exchange and mutual learning”. He further elaborates that by civilizational exchange and mutual learning during international communication, it means that through this process, the values contained in the communication texts ultimately become integrated into the culture of the receiving party and, ultimately, into human culture as a whole. This process not only enriches the cultural connotation of the recipient, but also promotes global cultural diversity and symbiosis. Sun Dehong emphasizes that achieving this transformation requires “value recognition” efforts between the disseminating and receiving parties. He points out that focusing on the universal values of human happiness for all is the “greatest common divisor” of value recognition among different receiving subjects. By excavating and disseminating universal human values, we can enhance understanding and respect among people from different cultural backgrounds, thereby laying a solid foundation for cultural exchange and mutual learning.
Furthermore, Sun Dehong also highlights the importance of “aesthetic communication” in international communication. He argues that the exchange and mutual learning of civilizations must follow the necessary path of “aesthetic communication”. Communicating culture through aesthetic means can transcend language and cultural barriers, touching people emotionally and promoting empathy and recognition among people from different cultural backgrounds. This way of communication not only helps to enhance the attractiveness of culture, but also strengthens the effectiveness of cultural communication.
Social Sciences in China (English Edition), a social science academic journal supervised and sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, has been committed to reflecting the latest achievements of social science research in China and promoting academic exchanges and friendly intercourse between China and foreign countries since its inception in 1980. The journal mainly covers subjects such as literature, history, philosophy, economics, politics, law, society, and ethnicity. It is the most authoritative comprehensive English academic journal of humanities and social sciences in the Chinese mainland. In this latest piece of work, Sun Dehong not only provides new perspectives and ideas for international communication research, but also offers theoretical support and practical guidance for promoting global cultural exchange and mutual learning, fully demonstrating the academic value and international influence of his research results.
