Abstract
At the end of the 19th century, Chinese elites became aware that the "new knowledge" from the West was more than just a collection of useful technology. Very quickly the concept of science (kexue) was established as a conjunction of several overlapping meanings: the true worldview, embodied in Darwinism and mechanical cosmology; an espitemic ideal and defining feature of modern civilization, which was to be applied to all serious intellectual pursuits (xueshu) as well as to the organization of social life; and a social system and research practice, imported by the first generations of Chinese scientists from Japan, USA and Europe.
The negotiation between these layers of "the scientific" was reflected everywhere from intellectual debates to politics. This important part of the history of early twentieth century China however still remains poorly understood.
As part of our ongoing project Deconstruction and Construction of National Traditions and Science in China, we aim to bring together scholars engaging with the transformation of knowledge and establishment of science in modern China. We will meet at the Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation International Sinological Centre at Charles University in Prague to share different perspectives on the interaction between levels of meaning of "knowledge" and "science" situated in the social and intellectual context.
Themes that can be covered include science in twentieth century Chinese thought, interactions of scientists with the wider society and politics, history of science and history as science, public perception of science and modern technology etc. In an informal workshop, we will discuss papers which present both fresh historical data and a thoughtful analysis of their relevance to the big questions of Chinese social and intellectual transformation in the early to mid-twentieth century.