Rare honour as CityU professor elected to Swedish humanities academy

Professor Zhang Longxi, Chair Professor of Comparative Literature and Translation at City University of Hong Kong (CityU), has joined the likes of French Enlightenment philosopher and writer Voltaire in becoming a foreign member of the esteemed Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities.

The Academy, established more than two and a half centuries ago, bestowed the honour upon Professor Zhang in recognition of his exceptional literary contribution to East-West cultural understanding and discourse.

Professor Zhang has attained world renown as a scholar and prominent author on humanities and cross-cultural studies. His main research interest is in promoting cross-cultural understanding between China and the West, from the perspective of East-West comparative studies. His publications have been met with critical acclaim in the international arena.

With the emergence of China, along with other developing countries, as an international economic force and the country’s political weight in Sino-Western relations, Professor Zhang’s works have taken on a heightened relevance.

“Misunderstanding between cultures often results in conflict, whether this manifests itself as racism and prejudices against different cultures or, on an international level, can even result in war,” said Professor Zhang. He pointed out that the focus of his work was important politically and culturally. “As China emerges as a player in international affairs it becomes especially important to the world that we dissipate some of the misconceptions and promote better mutual understanding between East and West,” he said.

“Obviously in countries that are developing fast, it is very important for them to emphasise science and technology in order to make themselves richer, and this is all very understandable and commendable. At the same time, humanities sometimes get pushed aside as something not central to development. But, for any nation to be truly great, cultural and moral values, ethics and philosophy are just as important, if not more so, when compared with any other particular skills,” said Professor Zhang.

Professor Zhang described the accolade, one of the highest possible in the field of humanities, as representing a wonderful vindication of the quality of teaching, research and education at CityU.

Admission to the Swedish academy was based on Professor Zhang’s impressive studies on literary canons. Among his best-known titles are Mighty Opposites (1998), Allegoresis (2005) and Unexpected Affinities (2007). His 2005 treatise was described by critics as “belonging with the best works on East-West comparative poetics and literary interpretation”, “an instant classic” and “a groundbreaking work that contributes substantially to our understanding of literary texts from East and West.”

In Mighty Opposites, Zhang’s work calls for genuine efforts at an understanding of China that does not reduce it to a mirror image of Western desires and fantastical stereotyped notions, pointing out the similarities between East and West and veering away from what he sees as an overemphasis on differences.

The Academy was established in 1753 and is one of the most renowned and prestigious bodies dedicated to humanities and social sciences. Its patron is His Majesty the King of Sweden.

Media enquiries: Craig Francis, Communications and Public Relations Office, CityU (3442 6802 or 9028 2758).