Dr David Bartosch, Distinguished Research Fellow of Research Institute for Globalization and Cultural Strategies at Beijing Normal University, delivered a speech titled Cultural Strategies in International Relations: The Case of China and the Contemporary World from a Philosophical Perspective at UIC on 11 March 2022. The talk was a part of the Contemporary World and China Lecture Series.
Dr Bartosch discussed the topic from a philosophical perspective, with some interrelated theoretical questions raised and progressively solved.
He answered the question What is culture? by illustrating both intention and scope of culture's concept in the virtue of ancient philosophers' thoughts.
He also pointed out in whatever level or field combining the ancient philosophers' thoughts that all the descriptions of culture imply that culture is a process realized by living human beings and always represented as becoming for good.
Dr Bartosch compared Stratagems with Strategies as the latter was aimed at long-term goals while the former did not state the definition of cultural strategies. He highlighted that cultural strategies aim to maintain and promote the multitude of humanity's cultural achievements as a whole and facilitate the mutual communication of civilization.
When analyzing international relations in a theoretical sense, Dr David Bartosch introduced three main strings approaches in the western world which respectively are Liberalism, Realism and Constructivism. He traced the history of the term international relations and globalization to the Bronze Age long before western civilization emerged.
He emphasized it is fulfilling to develop some parallel and connected new concepts such as Inter cultural-relations and Inter civilization to enrich and broaden the meaning and system of international relations. Cultural strategies would have to play an essential role.
Dr David Bartosch believed culture is part of unified and mutually beneficial Harmonious Power and Chinese culture strategies are the proper cultural strategies built on the foundation of recognition of Harmony.
He said global cultural communication and development could only be promoted by Harmonious Power, an integral approach to creating multi-polar would. Chinese culture and its civilization have to play a significant role in developing a future for humankind. China's task is to improve its Harmonious Power and assist the Harmonious Power's growth in other civilizations and nations. China should bear the responsibility of being the world connector, the world balancer and the world unifier in the contemporary world.
Dr David Bartosch pinned his hopes on China around the worldwide issues and emphasized that China has to fulfil its historical function even with a rather long way.
The speech ended up with the Q&A session where Dr David Bartosch took several questions from students, which mainly discussed the core competitiveness of Chinese culture, the understanding of Chinese policy, the differences between Chinese culture and western's.
From Chinese Language and Culture Centre
Reporter: Isabella Wu
Photographer: Alexander Bai
Editor: Deen He
