Incorporating traditional Chinese knowledge in research: The case of Chinese humanities and social sciences

Working paper

There is a growing call for intellectual pluriversality in response to global knowledge asymmetries that have been dominated by Western knowledge and have marginalised traditional non-Western knowledge. Thus, non-Western humanities and social sciences (HSS) research has witnessed a revitalisation of traditional knowledge, which has led to discussions concerning the integration of modern Western and traditional non-Western knowledge. Through conducting interviews, this study provides an overview of contemporary Chinese HSS scholars’ attempts to integrate Western and traditional Chinese knowledge into their research. We identified three steps: revisiting traditional Chinese knowledge; seeking out possible interactions with the prevailing Western knowledge; and exploring potential philosophical foundations for a synthesis of the two bodies of knowledge. The study concludes by providing new insights that can enrich the field of HSS research in China and beyond.

Authors: Shen, Y; Zhu, Y

• Publication status: Published
• Publisher: Centre for Global Higher Education, University of Oxford
• Series: Centre for Global Higher Education working paper series
• Publication date: 2023-12-01
• DOI: 10.5287/ora-dq1jd0qda
• EISSN: 2398-564X
• Paper number: 105
• Language: English
• Keywords: Chinese and western knowledge; higher education; knowledge integration; humanities and social sciences; research; traditional knowledge