On the evening of October 27th, Professor Jiang Jingkui, Director of the Center for South Asian Studies of Peking University, Vice Chairman of the Foreign Teaching Committee of the Ministry of Education, Chairman of the Non-Universal Language Subcommittee, Professor and Doctoral Supervisor in Peking University, visited the Center for Area Studies in Nankai University and delivered an academic lecture entitled What is India. The lecture was held online and hosted by Professor Yan Guodong, Dean of the School of Foreign Languages in Nankai University and Director of Center for Area Studies. Teachers and students from the College attended the lecture actively.
This academic lecture mainly covers the following aspects: the formation of India, the history, religion, and national character of India, as well as the current Sino-Indian relations. First of all, Professor Jiang Jingkui introduced the development process of India from the geographical concept to the state concept and even the state-nation concept, and then discussed the characteristics of Indian society, history and religious culture. Subsequently, Professor Jiang analyzed the national character and thinking and behavioral pattern of India from the aspects of religion, history, and social system. Finally, considering the domestic situation in India, the international situation and the contemporary Sino-Indian relations, Professor Jiang explored relevant issues deeply and systematically by carrying on a judgmental and prospective thinking.
After the lecture, the spectators had a warm response, expressing their opinions and asking questions actively. Professor Jiang further elaborated on India's language, caste system, native Indian values and Sino-Indian relations, and emphasized that there is an urgent need for the two sides to communicate directly in order to promote mutual understanding between China and India. When it comes to how to make use of foreign language expertise when engaging in area studies, Professor Jiang believes that the area studies of other disciplines focus on lotus and lotus root, while foreign language disciplines will concentrate on water, roots, soil”, which means that foreign language speakers must go into the target country to do further research and insist on basic research when engaging in area studies.
Eventually, Professor Yan Guodong expressed his sincere gratitude to Professor Jiang. He agrees with Professor Jiang’s opinion, and emphasized the long-term vitality of area studies of foreign language disciplines. He pointed out that these disciplines should maximize their academic advantages when engaging in such studies, doing fundamental researches well by starting from the original documents, and then initiating in-depth researches on the history, culture, and religion of the target country or region so as to comprehend the political, economic, and social issues of the target country or the field of Sino-foreign relations.
Through this academic lecture, Professor Jiang Jingkui provided a variety of perspectives for the teachers and students to understand India and Sino-Indian relations objectively and offered enlightening suggestions and reflections on the development of area studies in foreign language disciplines.
