Title: The Sociological Imagination in Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction
Time: April 18, 2025
Venue: Room 207, New Teaching Building, Gulou Campus, Nanjing University
Speaker: Liu Xi, PhD in the Department of Comparative Literature, the University of Hongkong,
Associate Professor and Doctoral Supervisor in the Department of China Studies, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.
Moderator: Wu Weiyi, Associate Professor at the School of Arts, Nanjing University.
Content Summary:
This lecture explores how contemporary Chinese science fiction, through a robust "sociological imagination," transforms individual struggles into public discourse. It examines how the genre not only interrogates the relationship between technological advancement and the human future but also articulates profound reflections on diverse sociocultural issues. Focusing on science fiction as a unique form of thought experiment, the lecture investigates how it achieves poetic justice through distinctive artistic effects and contributes meaningfully to dialogues on the community of common human destiny. Moreover, it argues that the writing and study of Chinese science fiction transcend mere "Chineseness," offering instead a mode of expression that can become a truly "global language."
