WT11 – Chinese and European views of the individuals and society

In partnership with :

Universiteit Gent / Ghent University : www.ugent.be

Workshop presentation

On both sides and for many centuries, the comparison between Chinese and European societies has been a subject of surprise, comparison and reflection. All societies are called on to respond to fundamental questions, such as the individual and the community, the nature of morality, the conception and the bases of social order, and the existence and role of principles that transcend human societies. All societies are led to say what is a « good life » and what is a « good society ». These conceptions have varied over the centuries, and societies and cultures are constantly influencing one another. Yet, it seems established that the cultural matrix inherited from history continues, through multiple metamorphoses, to influence the representation that individuals and societies make of themselves and of their relationships with others.

Many misunderstandings in the dialogue between societies or between cultures result from the fact that the representations that are the grounds for each of them and that give their meaning to words used, to attitudes and to behaviours are poorly interpreted or deformed due to the ignorance of these cultural codes. This is sometimes because we ignore the bases and the coherence of the representations of the other when interpreting what he understands by good, evil, power, virtue, prestige, happiness or harmony; or, on the other hand because we underestimate the cultural transformations taking part on both sides, especially under mutual influence.

It’s this dual perspective, on the one hand comparative and respectful of differences, and on the other fluid and attentive to the transformations, that will guide the workshop. It starts from the hypothesis that this analysis is not reserved to specialists, but that its main dimensions and contents are essential to balanced and respectful dialogue between Chinese and European societies.