Author ｜
Cheng Wen-huei
Abstract ｜
This paper, by means of the horizon and methodology of history of ideas, discusses how “idea/concept” could be a research subject in the conceptual transition of knowledge in modern China. I compare differences and similarities among three diverse histories of ideas (in the U.S., the U.K., and Germany) to their Chinese counterpart. To capture how the notions of “self ” and “other” were co-transformed in this transition from a macro-historical perspective, I propose to read modern China as a pivot in comprehending East Asian or even global context of history of ideas. In addition to textual evidence, images, rituals and other media,combined with metaphorology, and history of ideas, should be studied in order to complete trans-cultural archaeology. Moreover, applying digital technologies and statistical theories to analyzing certain key words,concepts, and the interactions among “ideas,” “events” and “actions”would extend the scholarship of history of ideas from current linguistic perspective to the one of digital humanities. It can be a significant breakthrough in the near future.
keywords ｜
history of ideas, modern China, transformation of knowledge, construction of concepts, East Asia, digital humanities