Social Sciences in China Review

No.4, 2019

Special Issue on “Constructing Academic System” (Abstract)

Editor’s note: In his speech at the Symposium on Philosophy and Social Sciences, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “we should construct philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics starting from where China stands, learning from foreign countries exploring history, grasping the contemporary era, caring for mankind, and facing the future, while fully demonstrating Chinese characteristics, Chinese style, and Chinese attitude within China’s guiding ideology, disciplinary system, academic system, discourse system and more.” The speech profoundly elaborated the historical position and value of philosophy and social sciences in our time, and it laid out important plans for accelerating the construction of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics. Xie Fuzhan, President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, pointed out that the “academic system is the core of accelerating the construction of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics,” and it “is the core and support of the disciplinary system and discourse system, and its level and attributes determine those of the latter two systems.” Therefore, on August 24, 2019, the Social Sciences in China Press held a symposium on “Accelerating the Construction of the Academic System of Philosophy and Social Sciences with Chinese Characteristics,” and invited professional and accomplished scholars in this field to have a discussion on this topic in terms of the theoretical roots, basic methods, and academic resources of contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences. We selected seven speeches in this vein, looking forward to stimulating more in-depth discussion in academia and further enhancing theoretical consciousness in the construction of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics.