Marxism and Globalization: A Contemporary Interpretation of The German Ideology

Author: Wang Dong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-06-01
Features: With the deepening of China's reform and opening-up, especially after China's accession to the WTO, economic globalization has increasingly become part of the composition of our daily lives. Analyzing the history, current state, and future prospects of globalization and proposing substantive strategies to address it are important issues facing academia. Following the academic symposium "The Communist Manifesto and Globalization" held in 2000, the Department of Philosophy at Peking University and the Research Center for Marxist Literature organized another academic symposium, "Marxism and Globalization: A Contemporary Interpretation of The German Ideology," in Beijing on September 21-22, 2001. Over 80 leaders, experts, and scholars from organizations such as the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Translation Bureau, the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Peking University, Renmin University of China, Beijing Normal University, Beijing Capital Normal University, Fudan University, Nankai University, Wuhan University, Sun Yat-sen University, and Liaoning University participated in the meeting. Discussions on globalization in China primarily revolved around the following questions: Is globalization an objective reality or a fiction? Does globalization benefit or harm developing countries more? Should China adopt a positive or negative attitude toward globalization? Is the essence of globalization capitalist, socialist, or something else? Beyond economic globalization, is there political or cultural globalization? Is globalization Westernization, Americanization, or Sinicization/modernization? Attendees engaged in in-depth discussions on these issues, particularly regarding globalization and modernity. Participants pointed out that modernity is inherently internationalist. When we speak of modernity today, we must emphasize its global and open nature, seeking modernity through globalization while developing national identity through modernity. Scholars also noted that as a global phenomenon of universal relevance, globalization signifies interdependence, mutual influence, and mutual constraint, which may either enhance unity or intensify conflicts of interest between nation-states. Only by respecting each country's historical culture, social system, and development model, acknowledging the reality of global diversity, and learning from each other through competition and mutual comparison while seeking common ground and respecting differences, can globalization achieve the goals of win-win and coexistence.