China Social Science Review

No.2, 2024

 

Liberal Arts Labs: The “Infrastructure” for Social Science Research in the Digital Age

(Abstract)

 

Meng Tianguang and Yan Yu

 

As we enter the digital age, the digital transformation of human society has ushered in a range of new socio-economic phenomena, posing unprecedented challenges to established knowledge systems. In response, liberal arts laboratories have emerged as essential platforms for the academic community to understand new phenomena, generate new knowledge, and develop new paradigms. Experiences from the development of liberal arts laboratories both domestically and internationally indicate that their construction should transcend the traditional model that is anchored in a single discipline, emphasizes only the teaching function, and depends on eminent scholars to build “small workshops.” Instead, we should establish a new type of integrated platform that is inherently interdisciplinary, aggregates resources, fosters collaboration, and pioneers innovation in governance structures and operational mechanisms.