本期论文英文摘要
2024-10-25
ABSTRACTS
The CPC’s Leadership in Ecological Civilization Construction in the New Era: Upholding Fundamental Principles and Breaking New Ground☉Li Mengmeng
The Communist Party of China has consistently adhered to integrating the fundamental principles of Marxism with the specific realities of China and the rich traditions of Chinese culture. By effectively applying the important worldview and methodology of “upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground”, the CPC has not only opened new horizons for the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism but also provided fundamental guidelines and action strategies for advancing the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. In the new era, the CPC’s leadership in ecological civilization construction steadfastly upholds the fundamental principles of Marxist ecological thought, China’s outstanding traditional ecological culture, the vigorous development of productive forces, and the basic national policies of resource conservation and environmental protection. At the same time, the CPC’s leadership in ecological civilization construction breaks new ground in areas such as Xi Jinping Thought on ecological civilization, ecological culture with Chinese characteristics, the acceleration of new quality productive forces, and the achievement of modernization where humanity and nature coexist in harmony. In its theoretical character, cultural objectives, practical guidance, and institutional arrangements, the CPC’s approach embodies a combination of continuity and progress, inheritance and innovation, as well as persistence and development. This combination of upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground has become a distinctive feature of the CPC’s leadership in ecological civilization construction in the new era.
Capital’s Natures: A Critique of Urban Political Ecology☉Erik Swyngedouw,trans., Huang Min
Although Urban Political Ecology has achieved numerous theoretical accomplishments in areas such as critiques of capitalist ecology, socio-ecological transformation, and theoretical interpretations of socio-ecological movements over the past two decades, the current stage of Urban Political Ecology theory fails to exhibit truly critical and progressive characteristics. Scholars have overlooked the existence of a capitalist political ecology that allows for the replication and deepening of capitalist social ecological relations. A critique of capitalist political ecology can reveal internal power relations, systemic inequalities and urbanization processes within capitalism and help construct a progressive urban future. Neoliberalism, as a solution to the ecological crises of capitalism, has been proven to be an illusion during the financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. And it has instead concealed the contradictions of capitalist ecological modernization.To truly address the issues, it is necessary to place ecological problems in the realm of radical politicization and restore the humanitarian spirit devoured by capital accumulation.
From Personal Responsibility to an Eco-socialist State: Political Economy, Popular Discourses and the Climate Crisis☉Erin Flanagan & Dennis Raphael, trans., Yang Lei
The adverse effects of climate change are already apparent with action required to forestall a full blown climate catastrophe. Despite findings that social democratic welfare states-Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden-more proactively respond to climate change through environmental policies that complement public policies promoting economic and social security, even these eco-social welfare state environmental policies are unlikely to avert a climate catastrophe. To avert a catastrophe will require gaining public control over energy policy and countering the power and influence of fossil-extracting industries. In theory, this could be accomplished through existing policy instruments. In reality, it may require establishment of a post-capitalist eco-socialist state, the outlines of which remain uncertain even among leading eco-socialist scholars. To effect either of these paths will require public awareness and support for such action. To that end, we identify public discourses of climate change which reflect these two ways forward as well as four other means of responding to climate change: (1)individual responsibility; (2)local action; (3)technocratic solution; (4)public policy advocacy; (5)balancing power in society; and(6)establishing a post-capitalist society. Despite the latter two discourses being the most likely to support effective action, they are the most marginalized.
Why Historical Human Production-oriented Development Should Not Be Viewed as Environmental Destruction☉Hou Yongjian
The term “human activities” is a general expre3sQ9Vu8EfOP0pmCXwPHqqvgTL8BSmUd52emlPqpS/S0=ssion used in academia to describe the actions of all people on Earth. Given the importance of human activities in historical research, scholars have conducted specialized and categorized studies. Many of these studies, influenced by the rise of environmental protection movements, have focused on the negative impacts of historical human production-oriented development on the natural environment. As a result, they have often overlooked the role of human activities in creating material wealth for society and driving historical progress, and have even neglected China’s long history of sustaining its population on its land for thousands of years, particularly blurring the relationship between the large population throughout history and the rise and fall of society. It is imperative to clarify this understanding. In 2023, the introduction of a new discipline,“Earth’s livability” within the field of physical geography, timely pointed out that many disciplines should take a broader perspective, focusing on survival issues within the grand context of human origins, evolution, and development. This opens up new avenues for exploring the history of the living environments of the Chinese people.
Professor Hou Yongjian’s Reflections on “Environmental Destruction Theory” and Its Academic Significance☉Zhang Li, Yang Yizhang & Du Juan
Since the 1980s, academia has tended to give negative evaluations of China’s historically agriculture-based development models and processes. Professor Hou Yongjian summarizes this trend as the “Environmental Destruction Theory” and conducts an academic review of it. His reflections on the “Environmental Destruction Theory” and his proposed research interest in the “creation of human habitats” represent a profound consideration of Chinese environmental history, demonstrating innovation and progress in interdisciplinary knowledge systems and research perspectives. Starting from the perspective of the people’s right to survival and development, Professor Hou reexamines the historical understanding and evaluation criteria regarding the relationship between agricultural development and the environment. He emphasizes the importance of grounding this research in the historical practice of China’s agricultural civilization and accurately identifying examples of “optimization” in the history of human-nature relationships. His goal is to build a discourse system with Chinese characteristics for understanding and interpreting environmental history, while continuously deepening our comprehension of the human-nature relationship through academic practice. His efforts reflect the pursuit of truth, goodness, and perfection in scholarly research.
Professor Hou Yongjian’s Research on the Creation of Human Habitats and Its Characteristics
☉Zhang Bo
In the current context of “jointly building a harmonious and livable human habitat”, Professor Hou Yongjian’s research on the “creation of human habitats” has great academic and social value. His research focuses on the wisdom and experience of people in building better homes across diverse geographical environments over a quite long period of time. It has three characteristics. Firstly, his research is based on the geographical environment of the region where the habitat is located. He emphasizes the diversity of the local geographical environments in the analysis process, and conducts long-term studies closely tied to key regional geographical elements. Secondly, he adopts a people-centered approach, valuing the pivotal role of the populace in the creation of habitats. During the analysis process, he always puts people (nation) first, meticulously presenting, accurately summarizing, and objectively evaluating the experiences of ordinary people in habitat creation from their own perspectives and ideas within specific time and space ranges. Thirdly, he systematically analyzes the relationship between man and nature by placing them in the same framework of the “community of a shared future”. By employing interdisciplinary theoretical methods, he demonstrates the development process of mutual influence and support between humans and nature in the creation of human habitats. At present, research on the creation of human habitat has achieved certain results, but there remains considerable room for improvement in terms of research scope, focus areas, and interdisciplinary cooperation in the future.
A Multidisciplinary Review of Historical Animal Studies Centered on the Historical Animal Research Team at Shanxi Normal University☉ Li Ji
From the beginning of the 21st century, the academia of historians has become more and more aware of the study of environmental change. Historical animals, as an important element of environmental change, should be paid more attention to. In 2005, Professor Hou Yongjian, a historical geographer, founded the Historical Animal Research Team under the Northwest Historical Environment and Socioeconomic Development Research Institute at Shaanxi Normal University. The team is composed of several young scholars and postgraduates from diverse disciplinary backgrounds. On the one hand, they study the geographical distribution and spatial changes of animals in historical periods from the perspective of historical physical geography. On the other hand, they explore the interaction between humans and animals in historical periods, as well as its social-environmental effects from the perspective of environmental history. The team has conducted research on specific species in particular historical periods, animals in specific regions, and fishery resources in certain areas. They have made new progress in fields such as historical physical geography and environmental history, leading to considerable academic achievements. Additionally, from the team emerge a new generation of scholars engaged in historical animal research, providing valuable insights for multidisciplinary animal studies.
Changes in River Governance in Japan Since the Meiji Era☉Fang Xiao
River governance has been a crucial tool for rulers in maintaining the legitimacy and authority of their regimes. Since the Meiji Restoration, Japan’s national modernization efforts have been paralleled by the progressive modernization of its river management systems. A significant milestone in this process was the enactment of Japan’s first River Law in 1896, which marked the transition from “low-water projects,” aimed at ensuring water supply for navigation and irrigation, to “high-water projects,” primarily focused on flood control. Prior to World War II, the concept of the “river control business” signaled a shift in the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ dual approach to water management and water conservancy, evolving into a more integrated vision of river governance that treated both as unified concerns. After the war, the recurrent occurrence of major floods and the growing demand for water resource development led to a surge in dam construction. The 1964 revision of the River Law incorporated the concept of basin-wide management and enhanced the regulatory framework of river management. In the 1997 revision of the River Law, an “environmental” objective was added, officially integrating environmental protection into Japan’s river governance framework, granting it equal legal status alongside the objectives of water management and water conservancy. The changes in the approaches to river management since the Meiji era reflect Japan’s modernization in its understanding and utilization of natural resources within the context of its development into a modern state.
Flood Control in the Lower Yongding River During the Late Qing Dynasty and Its Impact on Hydrological and Soil Environment☉Zhang Puheng
The measures taken by the late Qing government to control the flooding of the Yongding River followed those implemented by the previous dynasties and during the early and middle Qing Dynasty, including the construction of dams, dredging of rivers, and repair of gates and dams, which achieved certain results. However, they caused many negative impacts on the hydrological and soil environment, including the aggravation of sedimentation and diversion in the lower reaches of the Yongding River, the deterioration of the original hydrological environment of surrounding lakes and lakes, and the problem of soil desertification and salinization in the lower reaches of the Yongding River, which to some extent exacerbated the difficulty of river flood control. During the reign of Emperor Jiaqing and Emperor Daoguang, due to the deterioration of the financial situation of the Qing government, the emergence of corruption in river defense, and the limitations of the appointment of river defense officials, the governance of Yongding River fell into difficulties. Summarizing the experience and lessons of flood control in the lower Yongding River since the late Qing Dynasty can help better understand the changes in the interaction between the river environment and the human governance environment in the region, and provide historical references for the special situation faced by contemporary Yongding River governance.
An Analysis of the Ecological Ethics in Jiang Ru Lian☉Wang Shuping
Jiang Ru Lian(A White Silk Ribbon-Like River)is a long-form reportage centered on the theme of ecological civilization construction in the Lijiang River region. Deeply influenced by the ecological ethical concept that “humans and nature form a community of life”, this work acknowledges the life value of the mountains, rivers, and plants in the Lijiang River basin, breaking away from the narrative mode of opposition between humans and nature. More significantly, the work explores the various relationships between humans and the Lijiang River through interviews and surveys involving over 60 individuals from different professional backgrounds, truthfully recording the practice of river ethics in China during the era of ecological civilization.
Landscape Writing in Jiang Ru Lian from the Perspective of Ecological Aesthetic Criticism
☉Zhu Dengfeng
The long-form ecological reportage work Jiang Ru Lian(A White Silk Ribbon-Like River)transcends the traditional visual limitations of the Lijiang River landscape writing, highlighting its ecological significance. Through the “three-scape” perspectives, namely, the microcosmic landscape, the silent soundscape, and the soulscape as a spiritual home, the work showcases the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature. It transforms landscape writing into life writing and converts landscape aesthetics into life aesthetics, breaking through anthropocentric views and inspiring an ecological aesthetic reflection on the landscape of the Lijiang River.
An Overview of the Symposium on the Fundamental and Defining Concepts of Socialist Ecological Civilization and the 2024 Academic Annual Conference of the “China Socialist Eco-civilization Research Group”☉Ning Linlin
On July 21, 2024, the Symposium on the Fundamental and Defining Concepts of Socialist Ecological Civilization as well as the 2024 Academic Annual Conference of the “Chinese Research Group of Socialist Eco-civilization” was held in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, for the purpose of promoting the research on the fundamental and defining concepts of Marxist ecology and Socialist ecological civilization theory and pushing the construction of independent knowledge system of China’s environmental humanities and social sciences. Co-sponsored by the School of Marxism at Peking University, the Research Centre of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization at Peking University, the School of Marxism at Inner Mongolia University of Technology, and the School of Philosophy at Inner Mongolia University, this academic event attracted over 100 representatives from more than 50 universities and research institutions across the country. The participants conducted academic exchanges on five topics: “methodology for the study of fundamental and defining concepts of socialist ecological civilization”, “basic conceptual categories of Marxist ecological philosophy”,“fundamental and defining concepts of socialist ecological civilization”,“core concepts of green left-wing theory and their relevance”, and “construction of an independent conceptual system for socialist ecological civilization theory”. Jointly founded in June 2015 by the School of Marxism of Peking University and the Beijing Representative Office of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, the Chinese Research Group of Socialist Eco-civilization (CRGSE) is a national academic community that independently conducts research on issues related to the theory and practice of socialist ecological civilization. Since its establishment, the research group has held an annual academic meeting to lead and promote the theoretical research of socialist ecological civilization, and 2024 marks its tenth annual conference.
责任编辑:王俊暐