Human. History. Homeland: Three Tones of Cultural Criticism

Author: Meng Yue
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: Due to fate and experiences, this generation of authors can be said to have lived through a historical period longer than individual lifespans, traveling across regions wider than their hometowns. From the world landscape of the 18th century, the advent of imperialism, the modern era of late Qing, the new era of the May Fourth Movement, the socialist transformation, the post-Cultural Revolution, to today's globalization—all of these are their contemporary era. From cities to rural areas, from the other side of the ocean to this shore, they are both and yet not neighbors. Thus, if one must define the scope of "home," it would be the entire world; if one must find the origin of "home," it exists within each individual's heart. Precisely because "home" is so vast, as a cultural researcher, the author believes we are facing an unprecedented contradiction: the ideals in Chinese texts that love the concept of a harmonious world and are dedicated to life could have enriched the imagination of "home"; yet, the depletion of human material and spiritual resources within the Chinese context has posed a threat to "home." How many are willing to acknowledge that this threatened "home" is not only the property of Europeans, Americans, Latin Americans, Africans, Eastern Europeans, or Indians, but also the past and future of their own and their descendants? This book reflects the author's in-depth thinking and unique exploration of these issues.