La pensée humaniste caractérise les productions les plus intéressantes de l’Europe du XVIème siècle. S’opposant à l’invariable scolastique, l’humanisme met en valeur la variabilité humaine et semble tout prêt à repenser la notion de centre. Si l’on retient de cette époque principalement le regain d’intérêt pour les textes antiques et l’attention aux langues vernaculaires, on passe trop souvent sous silence les penseurs les plus radicaux de ce temps qui tentent d’étudier l’humanité dans toutes ses variations, de langues, de religions et de genres. Cet « humanisme total », bien antérieur aux travaux d’Etiemble, est un comparatisme décentré qui peut aujourd’hui encore, nourrir nos recherches sur le sujet. La communication propose de faire dialoguer, en diachronie, ces deux façons différentes d’envisager le décentrement afin de mieux comprendre sur quels présupposés l’une et l’autre reposent.

René Étiemble est un des comparatistes connus en Chine pour ses pensées sur la littérature comparée et son intérêt à la littérature et la culture chinoise. Il reprend l’idée de weltliteratur de Goethe et souligne le rôle important des littératures non-occidentales dans le monde littéraire. Sa perspective transculturelle et ses études sur la littérature chinoise et la relation de celle-ci avec la littérature occidentale sont souvent citées par les comparatistes chinois, dans leurs articles et des manuels de littérature comparée.

Le terme « invariant » proposé par Étiemble suscite des discussions sur l’uniformité et la singularité. Marino le prend comme « la contribution la plus importante apportée par Étiemble à la théorie de la littérature comparée ». Mais d’autres expriment des réserves sur ce terme. Certains comparatistes chinois s’intéressent aussi au « invariant » et ne le rejettent pas complètement. Ils connaissent sa contribution à la méthodologie de la discipline et à la poétique comparée, qui intéresse le plus les comparatistes chinois d’aujourd’hui.

Les études comparatistes en Chine se caractérisent souvent par « transculturel ». Cette orientation se développe avec les discussions perpétuelles sur la notion de weltliteratur et de nouvelles relations entre les littératures et les poétiques nationales, surtout entre la littérature chinoise et d’autres littératures. Elle met en relief la diversité culturelle et la communication internationale. Les études et les pensées d’Étiemble, qui apportent souvent une perspective universelle, méritent encore de l’attention des comparatistes chinois.

A partir d’une recherche dans les archives de René Etiemble déposées à la Bibliothèque nationale de France, nous présenterons le contexte dans lequel le livre de 1974 Essais de littérature (vraiment) générale a paru et la place qu’il tient dans l’œuvre de son auteur. Ce livre est une collection d’articles initialement écrits pour l’Encyclopédie de la Pléiade et pour l’Encyclopaedia universalis. Leur réédition en 1974 les rassemble sous ce titre de « littérature (vraiment) générale », qui ne signifie ni « littérature universelle », ni « comparatisme planétaire » (autres titres d’Etiemble), ni Weltliteratur ni world literature. L’enseignement, les activités éditoriales, les directions de travaux de recherche d’Etiemble permettent d’éclairer cet ouvrage composite au ton polémique et d’en évaluer l’ambition démesurée.

After having explored the archives of René Etiemble deposited at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, I will present the context in which the 1974 book Essais de littérature (vraiment) générale was published, and the place it holds in the work of its author. The book is a collection of articles originally written for the Encyclopédie de la Pléiade and the Encyclopaedia universalis. Their reissue in 1974 brought them together under the title “littérature (vraiment) générale”, which means neither “littérature universelle” nor “comparatisme planétaire” (Etiemble's other titles), nor Weltliteratur nor world literature. Etiemble's teaching, publishing activities and research supervising shed light on this polemical composite work, and enable us to assess its excessive ambition.

Il va s'agir d'examiner les contours de la volonté et de l'intention critiques de ces trois auteurs, écrivains et penseurs africains et antillais de remise en question de l'histoire culturelle héritée du colonialisme et de proposition d'écriture d'une autre histoire, d'une histoire littéraire et culturelle autre de leur monde à l'ère postcoloniale.

En intégrant à ses Essais de littérature (vraiment) générale un chapitre intitulé « L’épopée de l’épopée », issu de sa contribution à l’Encyclopaedia universalis, Étiemble invitait il y a cinquante ans à « repartir de zéro ». Il était temps en effet de rompre avec les approches primitivistes du genre épique, qui cherchaient à y voir l’expression « spontanée » des « peuples jeunes ». En s’interrogeant sur l’avenir de l’épopée, le comparatiste nouait ensemble deux questions désormais corrélées, celle des métamorphoses de l’épopée dans les cultures contemporaines et celle des nouveaux regards portés sur l’épopée comme objet d’étude, devant le constat de son impossible définition. Un tel renouvellement se fondait sur l’élargissement du corpus aux littératures extra-européennes, et même extra-indo-européennes. On s’intéressera donc à la manière dont Étiemble élabore sa réflexion sur l’épopée, dans les années 1960 et 1970, en dialogue avec l’œuvre d’un Georges Dumézil (auquel les Essais de littérature (vraiment) générale sont d’ailleurs dédiés) mais aussi celle du tibétologue Rolf A. Stein. On s’interrogera sur les tensions, voire les paradoxes, qu’implique la mobilisation de références aussi variées, et sur la place qui est donnée, dans ce laboratoire théorique, à la tradition épique tibétaine, ou à l’absence de tradition épique chinoise. C’est depuis l’Asie qu’on tentera ainsi de jeter un regard rétrospectif sur ce geste critique d’Étiemble à propos de l’épopée, et sur les discussions auxquelles il se prête aujourd’hui.

Toute l’œuvre d’Étiemble est un vibrant appel à penser hors des littératures et des langues européennes, en apprenant toujours plus de langues pour avoir accès aux œuvres aussi bien qu’à la critique sur celles-ci, comme il l’expose notamment dans « Comment former des généralistes ? », texte ajouté à la troisième édition des Essais de littérature (vraiment) générale (1975), et encore dans la section « Les langues de travail » des Ouverture/s/ sur un comparatisme planétaire (1988). Lui-même fut un vivant exemple d’un exceptionnel comparatisme polyglotte, abordant aussi bien la littérature chinoise que pintupi (dans les Nouveaux essais de littérature universelle, 1992). Cependant, son inlassable plaidoyer pour l’apprentissage de langues nombreuses et non européennes s’est paradoxalement accompagné d’un relatif impensé de la langue, dont témoigne Parlez-vous franglais ? (1964), réquisitoire contre le français américanisé ou « sabir atlantique ». Or, pour qui n’a cessé de montrer que les littératures et les cultures ne peuvent être considérées comme des entités pures et hermétiques, que la circulation des formes et des idées est heureusement productive, quand bien même cette productivité passe par des altérations et des malentendus, il y a là une conception puriste de la langue qui peut surprendre. À René Wellek (A. Warren, R. Wellek, Theory of literature, 1949), tout juste traduit en français (1971), qui soutenait que la langue avait été retenue de façon erronée comme critère décisif en matière de littérature, à la suite du développement au XIXe siècle de nationalismes fondés en grande partie sur des considérations linguistiques, Étiemble avait rétorqué en 1974 avec ses Essais de littérature (vraiment) générale, où il entreprenait de saper les illusions de la généralité alinguistique wellekienne. Mais qu’est-ce que la langue selon Étiemble ? On souhaiterait se saisir de certaines des tensions repérables dans ses écrits pour défaire l’évidence de la langue et des langues, et en tirer quelques propositions pour la pratique comparatiste.

The establishment of Acta Comparationis Litterarum Universarum (ACLU, 1877–1888) in Kolozsvár/Klausenburg/Cluj marked a pivotal moment in the history of comparative literature, coinciding with two transformative 19th-century developments: the technological advancements that revolutionized travel and communication, and the inter-imperial negotiations that politically deflated the emancipatory nationalist movements of 1848 in Europe. These infrastructural and political shifts deeply influenced the journal’s theoretical and philological foundations. ACLU embodied the cosmopolitan ideals of Goethe’s Weltliteratur while envisioning a “science of the future” (Zukunftswissenschaft) grounded in polyglotism. This study explores the formative years of comparative literature through the lens of transnational mobility, focusing on the journal’s main editor, Hugo Meltzl de Lomnitz (1846–1908), and one of its key contributors, Dora d’Istria (1828–1888), both born on the territory of modern-day Romania.

It has been shown that exile, migration, or mobility more broadly are decisive in shaping comparative thought in the 20th century (Said 1983, Apter 2003). Meltzl and d’Istria’s cases are symptomatic of this trend, but their mobilities were distinct in their academic and upper-class nature. By situating their work within the broader materialist contexts of the 19th century, this study examines how their movements shaped the comparative methods and ideological stances of the proto-comparatist discipline. This research contributes to recent historiography (López 2009, Parvulescu and Boatca 2020, Nicholls 2024) that has highlighted the tension between ACLU’s internationalist ethos and the practical solutions proposed by its authors.

The presentation is divided into two parts. The first examines the mobilities of Meltzl and d’Istria within a Europe reshaped by the failure of the 1848 nationalist movements and the political reconciliations that followed. Meltzl’s academic peregrinations to Leipzig and Heidelberg (Horst 2005, 2006), alongside his travels across Europe and North Africa, shaped his vision of a post-imperial, Goethean Weltliteratur. D’Istria’s aristocratic background and movements between Russia, Switzerland, Italy, and Greece informed her efforts to “deprovincialize” Eastern Europe. The second part connects the timeline of their mobilities to the evolution of their thought. Meltzl’s project evolved from radical anti-nationalism to a more pragmatic, contextually nationalist stance, reflecting his position between the periphery of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (Medved 2018) and the German academic centers. Similarly, d’Istria’s writings reveal a dual commitment to Western modernization and the preservation of Balkan nationalisms (d’Alessandri 2011). This presentation shows that, while their efforts reflected ACLU’s program of protecting linguistic identities, their projects were paradoxically embedded within imperialist frameworks.

The literary historiography of Romanian diaspora writers has largely been shaped by qualitative approaches that emphasize exceptional figures—dissidents, canonical intellectuals, and internationally renowned authors such as E. M. Cioran, Mircea Eliade, and Eugène Ionesco. While studies such as those by Iovănel (2017) have analyzed the mechanisms of world literary consecration through case studies, there is little to no research into broader patterns of literary migration, particularly regarding the ideological networks of Romanian writers abroad. This article seeks to address this gap by identifying and analyzing the ideological structures of the Romanian literary diaspora using raw biographical data from “The General Dictionary of Romanian Literature.”

Employing a quantitative approach, this study aims to map the ideological affiliations of Romanian diaspora writers based on their publication networks, institutional connections, and patterns of reception. Following recent debates on the political and material conditions of literary border-crossing (Tihanov, 2012; 2021; Lachenicht & Heinsohn, 2009), we move away from the romanticized view of diaspora as inherently cosmopolitan and examine the ways in which migration reinforced distinct ideological positions. Our analysis also advances the hypothesis that the Romanian literary diaspora of the 20th century formed three major ideological networks: (1) left-wing avant-garde networks, (2) right-wing fascist networks, and (3) anti-communist “intellectual” networks (Cornis-Pope & Neubauer, 2006). These ideological formations intersect with broader trends in transnational literary and political history, including the interplay between Romanian fascist intellectuals and the European radical right (Bejan, 2019), as well as post-communist attempts to rehabilitate nationalist and right-wing figures (Neubauer, 2009).

By quantitatively assessing patterns of emigration, publication, affiliation, and circulation of Romanian diasporic writers and their works, this article contributes to the study of world literature as an interconnected system of power relations rather than an assemblage of singular, exceptional authors. To this end, we also draw on recent scholarship on the transnational dimensions of political ideologies (Bauerkämper & Rossoliński-Liebe, 2017; Stone & Chamedes, 2018; van Dongen, Roulin & Scott-Smith, 2014) and artistic movements (Harding & Rouse, 2010).

Ultimately, this research seeks to identify the underlying macro structures of Romanian diasporic literature—those systemic relationships that have been overlooked due to prevailing narratives of dissidence and cultural exceptionalism. In doing so, it offers a new perspective on the ideological complexities of Romanian literary migration and its place within world literature.

In the landmark study The World Republic of Letters (1999, translated into English in 2004), Pascale Casanova claims that for writers coming from small literatures, the only way to gain international visibility is to move to Paris and adopt a “de-nationalized” form of writing. Nearly a decade later, Mads Rosendahl Thomsen sheds new light on transnational literature by exploring its politics and proposing a taxonomy. According to Thomsen (2008), transnational literature encompasses both migrant modernists and contemporary writers, the latter of whom can be divided into three sub-categories: postcolonials, political exiles and voluntary migrants. However, neither of these accounts fully captures Romanian transnational literature from the last century. As I will argue, the more globalized the world becomes, the less transnational Romanian literature appears to be. Broadly, four waves of mobility define Romanian transnational literature (Terian 2015). According to Terian, the first wave is represented by the avant-gardists, among whom the Romanian-born Jewish writers Tristan Tzara and Gherasim Luca. The second wave includes the members of the Young Generation of 1920s–1930s: the right-wingers Emil Cioran and Mircea Eliade, and the anti-fascist Eugène Ionesco. The third wave is trauma literature, represented by the works of the Holocaust survivors and communist dissidents, such as Paul Celan, Norman Manea, and Herta Müller. However, whereas Terian identifies the literary comparatists as the fourth wave, my taxonomy includes instead the economic migrants. After 2000, several writers—including Radu Pavel Gheo and Adrian Schiop—moved abroad in search of work and documented their experience in literary works. As I will show, all four waves generate a transnational literature, but there is a striking difference between them. Whereas the first three waves presupposed the international recognition of the writers and their works, the writers from the fourth wave have gained mostly national recognition. This pattern suggests the existence of two forms of transnationalism: an outward transnationalism in the interwar and Cold War period and—quite paradoxically—an inward transnationalism in the era of globalization. Outward transnationalism may or may not be based on the fictional representation of displacement, mobility, exile. Yet, the outcome is that regardless of the topics they tackled, these authors—who not only lived in the West but wrote in a major language—achieved international recognition. On the opposite side, by documenting their working experience in the West, economic migrants did not write from the standpoint of the elite and not in a major language. This is why, despite their mobility, which makes them, in fact, transnational writers, their works have remained confined within the limits of Romanian literature.

My paper focuses on the relations between the Romanian and Moldovan literary systems, by giving particular attention to traveling writers. By traveling writers, I have in mind contemporary Moldovan authors who choose to (and succeed in) publishing their works in Romania. Most often than not, they also opt for residing in Romania, while maintaining close relations with their homeland and insistently revisiting it in their (auto)fictional work. To characterize this type of in-betweenness I find appropriate the concept of double diaspora, which in fact describes a situation common to Moldovan people at large. In the wake of USSR’s disintegration, Moldova switched from its colonial status as part of the Soviet Union to a national path, while strengthening relations with Romania. The Moldovan’s migration to Romania, started in the 1990s, took a new form in 2009, two years after Romania’s accession to EU, when the Romanian government boosted the process of according citizenship to Moldovan people, whether they continued to live in Moldova or migrated to the EU. Migrants often reinforce their national identity in the host country, and this is exactly what traveling writers I refer to did in their literature. While Moldova’s post-1991 national path is a dominant theme in contemporary local literature, my argument is that authors publishing in Romania treat the national element differently to their peers residing in Moldova. Building on (auto)fictional novels by Alexandru Vakulovski, Tatiana Țîbuleac, Dinu Guțu and, particularly, Sașa Zare, a queer-feminist author, I maintain that these male and female writers display intersectional characters, marked by their gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and social position, as well as by Moldova’s subordinate geopolitical position, when discussing new Moldovan national identities. National identity is thus integrated in this intersectional process of building a fictional self, while gender and sexual identity, as well as gendered and sexualized language, are used to describe regional uneven power relations. Drawing on Zare’s queer positioning, I conclude that queering the national is a two-end strategy: on the one hand, it draws attention to subalternity and violence; on the other, it functions as a ‘worlding’ device, since it furthers self-affirmative and inclusive literary works, which go beyond the national theme and invite in diverse characters and readers.

论文考察民国时期东南亚华文报刊中的新诗，指出东南亚新诗不仅丰富了汉诗内涵，更是文化融合与创新精神的体现。东南亚汉诗创作者在移植汉诗传统的同时，孕育出具有热带风情与家国情怀的新声。东南亚新诗既批判社会现实，抒发个人情感，又细腻描绘地方景观，明确表达文化认同，且在艺术表现上与中国大陆新诗同步发展，紧密相连。同时，东南亚华文诗歌在创作实践中展现出地域性转化与自主创新的特点，反映了该地区华人复杂而丰富的情感世界和身份认同。民国时期东南亚新诗研究不仅有助于挖掘边缘声音，更是探讨全球化语境下文化互动与身份认同问题的重要视角。

The focus of this research is on two interrelated issues regarding Hugo Meltzl and Acta Comparationis Litterarum Universarum (1877-1888): first, it aims to point out that Meltzl and the origin story of comparatism that he was made to portray is central to the constitution of the discipline of World Literature, as devised by David Damrosch or Haun Saussy, some of the most influential comparatists of the past few decades. I will attempt to show that, in order to counterbalance the charge of Western-centrism, they performed a decontextualized and partial reading of Meltzl and Acta Comparationis. The second aim of the presentation, in the aftermath of other post- or de-colonial perspectives, is to historicize the discussion on Acta Comparationis in relation to new approaches to the Late Habsburg empire and in terms of the complex linguistic and identity politics embedded in the archive of the journal. The hypothesis explored here is that Acta comparationis is not a product arisen from an ineffable ideology at odds with an imperial or Eurocentric outlook, but a product embedded in the political project of the Austro-Hungarian empire. In the second part of the presentation, the practices of cultural comparison displayed in the pages of the above mentioned journal are assessed against the above mentioned environment and in relation to the manifesto(es) of polyglottism/decaglottism.

This presentation aims to discuss the testimonial literature of Romanian emigration in the 20th and 21st centuries, tracking the personal political commitments of the authors and how these commitments resonate or clash with the ideological readings they employ in their literature. Starting from the concept proposed by György Lukács in History and Class Consciousness (1923), where the Hungarian philosopher describes ‘true class consciousness’ as the awareness of the revolutionary historical role of the proletarian class, not just an awareness of one’s own social ‘status,’ the presentation investigates how the relationship between emigrant literature and social data can be described as a form of “self-reification” of the Eastern European subaltern condition and, conversely, the forms of awareness and overcoming of this reification. The main aim of this paper is to show how migration, the more it became a mass fenomenon, the more apolitical it got within literary representations. This is also due to the post-communist period, which created a tendency to explain every domestic problem through the thesis of ‘unnatural development,’ meaning that most of the social problems of Eastern Europe stem from the communist period, not from the semi-peripheral capitalism (Cornel Ban, Dependență și dezvoltare, 2014) which shaped the region. This thesis has made it difficult for writers to understand the problems of global capitalism without referring to the heavy communist legacy, and thus modified ‘class consciousness’ to fit the mainstream narrative of ‘unnatural development.’

This paper seeks to examine the diverse representations of Eastern European subjects as depicted in the works of German ethnic authors from Transylvania and Banat. These portrayals are structured around a stark dichotomy: on one side, an aspirationally “Western” segment of the population—associated with democracy and historical legitimacy—and on the other, a “Balkanized” majority, perceived as regressive and culturally backward. This division carries a distinct class dimension, engendering a form of ethnic inner diaspora. Much like other elitist migratory practices employed by Romanian writers or the phenomenon of “resistance through culture,” designating the preferred form of non-engaged dissent practiced during the communist period by Romanian intellectuals, such representations redefine class consciousness and reposition the so-called German “microliterature” (Mircea A. Diaconu 2017) within the Romanian literary landscape. As a prime example of post-communist literary export, this paper will focus on Herta Müller’s polyterritorial double diaspora. Her works navigate a dual symbolic distance: first, from her Romanian co-nationals under the Ceaușescu dictatorship, marked by her estrangement from the dominant cultural and political climate before the anti-communist revolution; and second, from her aspirational engagement with cosmopolitanism in relation to Germany, positioning her literature within a transnational framework.

Despite its efforts to leave behind the myth of creative uniqueness, most current definitions of world literature still celebrate authors as sources of exceptionalist thought and irreducible language (with the sole amendment that the modernist topos of creation ex nihilo has sometimes been replaced by the postmodern notion of cultural creolization). However, this paper aims to use the idea of serial history, widely practiced in the social sciences, to address the most conservative core of literary studies: the thesis of the canon as a repertoire of unique voices. According to the perspective shift I propose, classical questions such as “Who was the most original poet/novelist/playwright in X national literature?” transform into problems like “What transnational processes does the work of Y—recognized as a representative author in X literature—illustrate?” From this perspective, writers from various national literatures cease to be seen as sources of idiosyncratic discourses and instead become “serial authors,” nodes in different transnational networks whose value is directly proportional to their ability to associate within the broadest and most complex cultural clusters. This anti-canonical concept of world literature could be illustrated through any genre, era, or literary space, but in my paper, I have chosen to focus on literary criticism, where connections can be more clearly highlighted. Thus, in 19th-century Romanian culture, the idea that a national literature should reject the imitation of Western cultural institutions was accredited through Titu Maiorescu's so-called theory of “forms without substance”. A comparable echo can be found in the criticism of the Bulgarian intellectual Petko Slaveykov, who also warned against the dangers of imitating Western “cultural fashions.” But while the relationship between Maiorescu and Slaveykov can be explained through their belonging to a shared cultural area and the possibility of “traveling ideas,” this hypothesis becomes less viable in a transareal comparison—such as that between Maiorescu’s analysis (O cercetare critică asupra poeziei române de la 1867 [A Critical Inquiry into Romanian Poetry from 1867], 1867) and that of the Ecuadorian critic Juan León Mera (Ojeada histórico-crítica sobre la poesía ecuatoriana desde su época más remota hasta nuestros días [A Historical-Critical Overview of Ecuadorian Poetry from Its Earliest Period to the Present Day], 1868). In this case, not only do their dates of publication and ideological positions (the rejection of foreign imitation) coincide, but even the phrasing of their titles appears strikingly similar. In any case, by continuously and extensively addressing the problem of cultural imports within their respective national cultures, the writings of Maiorescu, Slaveykov, and Mera acquire a transnational significance.

This study examines the translation and circulation of Portuguese literature in China from 1942 to 2022 using digital methods, integrating Social Network Analysis and Geographic Information Systems to explore patterns in literary exchange. Engaging with debates in comparative literature, it challenges the center-periphery model (Roig-Sanz & Meylaerts, 2018; Roig-Sanz, 2022) by tracing how translation networks have shifted from state-controlled to market-driven structures, from centralized to dispersed publishing hubs, and from collective to individually led initiatives.

Drawing on bibliographic and relational data (Roig-Sanz & Fólica, 2021; Wakabayashi, 2019), this study highlights the mechanisms shaping literary circulation and shows that sustained exchange between peripheral systems depends not only on institutional support but also on the interplay of market forces, educational infrastructure, and translator agency (Heilbron & Sapiro, 2002; Sapiro & Heilbron, 2018). Responding to calls for broader methodological engagement in comparative literature (Wilkens, 2015; Cronin, 2012), it demonstrates how digital approaches can map literary flows beyond dominant cultural centers and reassesses how Portuguese literature has been introduced, disseminated, and adapted in China over the past eight decades.

By examining the evolving structures of literary circulation, this research highlights the role of cultural mediators in shaping translation networks and offers new perspectives on the study of minor literatures across diverse literary systems.

References:

Cronin, Michael. 2012. Translation in the Digital Age. Routledge.

Heilbron, Johan, & Sapiro, Gisèle. 2002. "Outline for a Sociology of Translation: Current Issues and Future Prospects." Literature and Translation: New Perspectives in Literary Studies, 93-107.

Roig-Sanz, Diana. 2022. "The Global Minor: A Transnational Space for Decentering Literary and Translation History." Comparative Literature Studies, 59(4): 631-663.

Roig-Sanz, Diana, & Fólica, Laura. 2021. "Big Translation History: Data Science Applied to Translated Literature in the Spanish-Speaking World, 1898-1945." Translation Spaces, 10(2): 231-259.

Roig-Sanz, Diana, & Meylaerts, Reine (Eds.). 2018. Literary Translation and Cultural Mediators in ‘Peripheral’ Cultures. Palgrave Macmillan.

Sapiro, Gisèle, & Heilbron, Johan. 2018. "Politics of Translation: How States Shape Cultural Transfers." In Diana Roig-Sanz & Reine Meylaerts (Eds.), Literary Translation and Cultural Mediators in ‘Peripheral’ Cultures: Customs Officers or Smugglers? (pp. 183-208). Palgrave Macmillan.

Wakabayashi, Judy. 2019. "Digital Approaches to Translation History." Translation & Interpreting: The International Journal of Translation and Interpreting Research, 11(2): 132-145.

Wilkens, Matthew. 2015. "Digital Humanities and Its Application in the Study of Literature and Culture." Comparative Literature, 67(1): 11-20.

This research explores modern Arabic literature through a computational lens, focusing on places—from countries and cities to streets and landmarks—in a corpus of 38 award-winning novels by authors from North Africa, the Gulf, Egypt and Sudan, and the Levant and Iraq published between 1993 and 2017. By employing Named Entity Recognition (NER) to identify these real-world locations and stance detection to assess their portrayal, the study examines how local and global spaces are woven into literary narratives and imbued with diverse cultural meanings.

Our methodology combines quantitative and qualitative approaches. Computational tools (NER and sentiment analysis) reveal patterns in the frequency and distribution of place references, while distant reading strategies offer macro-level insights into how these locations function across the corpus. The findings shed light on the spectrum of attitudes—ranging from nostalgia and cultural pride to critiques of globalization and transnational encounters—and highlight aspects of shared regional heritage as well as unique national contexts.

From a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective, this work underscores how digitization and advanced computational methods expand our understanding of Arabic literary networks, moving beyond traditional close reading to uncover broader thematic resonances. By concentrating on the significance of place, we reveal shifting conceptions of identity, cultural memory, and global interconnectedness in modern Arabic writing. The research also demonstrates how the digital humanities approach can present a clearer picture of the evolving landscape of collective imagination and authorial engagement as it offers fresh insights into the convergences and divergences in the portrayal of “local vs. global” entities in modern Arabic literature.

The proliferation of new internet and communication technologies has given rise to a robust digital Chinese diaspora. My conference paper explores the phenomenon as a novel transnational formation of overseas Chinese communities, operating within an online transnational cultural sphere. These communities, while geographically dispersed beyond Greater China, are unified by shared experiences and concerns, and rely on the Chinese language as their primary medium for communication and public discourse.

Central to this digital diaspora is "self-media," a form of personal media that stands in contrast to official or mainstream media outlets. Self-media has become increasingly influential in the reformation of diasporic Chinese communities and played a pivotal role in reshaping their identity and redefining their relationships with both their countries of residence and their homeland. This shift toward self-media denotes a significant move towards self-representation and community building.

This paper will highlight the preferential use of YouTube and WeChat by the diasporic Chinese, noting the sharp differences in the sociopolitical frameworks and regulatory landscapes of these platforms. The analysis focuses on the diaspora's strategic utilization of these platforms for content production and political activism. This strategy is a testament to their ability to maintain subjective agency within their host nations while concurrently exerting influence on the political discourse of their country of origin.

The strategic use of digital media by the diasporic Chinese signifies a creative and pragmatic approach to navigating the complexities of the digital realm. It is a method that is not only self-serving but also serves the broader interests and objectives of the Chinese diaspora. The paper posits that through such strategic engagement with digital media, the diaspora is carving out a space for political and cultural agency, challenging conventional narratives, and contributing to a reshaped global Chinese identity in the digital age.

Adaptation of fiction carries an aura of its own. Its charisma lies in the artistic reproduction of data communicated through a historical novel. As some critics opine adaptation of literary texts into audio-visual medium may be treated as translation too.In a written work extensive description and dialogue enable a reader imagine a situation and enjoy the beauty of the narrative in print. In film or A.V [Audio-Visual] adaptation with a single shot or collage of images the same is shown, where audience appreciation or reception is immediate and immense. What a bulky printed text carries is communicated through a two hour film casting a spell on the audience. Additions, deletions and interpolations make a film altogether a different mode of creative art. Not all film adaptations are successful. While longevity of a novel is ensured, the appeal of a film is transient and lingers in memory, slowly fading as time passes. Search for fidelity in film adaption of l fiction is an exercise in futility. As in translation, not all details can be carried across the media barriers. But visual depiction is more potent and aesthetically gratifying, depending on the director and the team involved in making a film adaptation. This presentation seeks to throw light on A.V. adaptation of fiction dealing with Indian freedom struggle encompassing works by Indian and British writers.

This study analyses the representation of the ‘stranger’ in literary works by Olha Kobilyanska (1863-1942), a Ukrainian writer at the turn of the 20th century. Kobilyanska was born in the Bukovina region, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (present-day Ukraine), to a minor administration worker and a Polonised German mother. She began her literary career initially in German. The present study focuses on her early German short story ‘Nature’ (1896), which subjects the encounter between different cultures.

The narrative depicts the encounter and subsequent disunion of a young lady from a city and a male Hutsul (an ethnic group inhabiting the Carpathian Mountains). The two primary protagonists personify various dichotomous elements, including gender, urbanity/rurality, and reason/instinct. In this context, both of them appear as 'stranger' to each other, and the story revolves around the encounter and understanding of different cultures.

In this analysis, the concept of the 'stranger' as delineated by Georg Simmel – who made a strict distinction between the 'stranger' and the 'other' – is applied to explore how the protagonists function as mediators between different cultures. Furthermore, this study highlights the ambiguous and unstable nature of Ukrainian identity at the turn of the 20th century, considering the broader socio-political and cultural context of Bukovina under Austro-Hungarian rule.

In contemporary science fiction, the digital self born through mind uploading frequently appears as a distinct type of disembodied posthuman. These entities retain consciousness while being severed from their biological bodies, leaving their status as “life” ambiguous. This paper focuses on such uploaded individuals and examines their life potential and paradoxes from a posthumanist perspective. It argues that the continuity of memory, emotional responsiveness, and social functionality grants these uploaded beings a semblance of life. However, due to their radical state of disembodiment, they lack embodied perception, self-sustaining capacity, and the potential for growth—traits typically essential to living beings. This tension reveals a shifting ontological boundary of life under technological transformation and challenges the embodied premise embedded in classical life definitions. Drawing on posthumanist discourse and embodied cognition theory, the paper conceptualizes these uploaded minds as a form of “simulated life”: neither fully organic nor entirely artificial, but a novel mode of existence that urges us to rethink the boundaries of both life and humanity in the posthuman era.

While western science fiction works are looking up to the future and displaying themes such as cyborgs, artificial intelligence, and exploration of the universe, some Chinese science fiction works are also looking at the present, and have revived the traditional literary form of fable by taking all kinds of animals as their objects, which not only extends the science fiction works to the future, but also has a deep and solid metaphor of the reality as the foundation, and thus also reflects the inheritance of Chinese science fiction to the tradition of ‘trusting objects to speak of their will’ in classical literature, and thus makes a unique contribution to the global future imaginations. ‘This also reflects the inheritance of Chinese science fiction from the allegorical writing of classical literature, and thus makes a unique contribution to the global future imagination. Therefore, this paper will discuss animal symbols, man and animals, and man and nature at three levels, and summarise the national characteristics and literary styles of animal fables in Chinese science fiction works in comparison with Western science fiction literature.

The rise of AI-generated literary creation (AIGC) is set to play a transformative role in the future of literature, art, and cultural production. However, as AIGC evolves through the integration of advanced technologies like GANs, CLIP, Transformers, Diffusion, and multimodal technologies, its rapid development raises significant questions. With each iteration, AI improves itself through better algorithms, expanded data sets, and refined models, leading to the increasing potential for human writers to be replaced by specialized AIGC language models. As AI grows more sophisticated, it could outpace human capacity, leading to a potential imbalance where humans are seen as “weaker” in comparison. In this context, we must critically examine the creative potential of AIGC, establish ethical frameworks to regulate its literary impact, and ensure that AI remains a tool that serves human authors rather than eclipsing them.

The rapid evolution of virtual production and AI technologies has significantly transformed traditional filmmaking processes, unlocking new creative potentials that were once constrained by the limitations of analog filmmaking. By introducing efficiencies across preproduction, production, and postproduction, these advancements enable filmmakers to explore a more fluid, dynamic approach to storytelling. In particular, virtual production blurs the boundaries between stages of filmmaking, often compressing or reordering workflows in ways that invite unconventional creative practices. AI-driven tools, such as real-time 3D background generation, further accelerate this process, offering filmmakers the ability to visualize and iterate concepts with unprecedented speed and ease.

This paper explores how these new creative workflows bear striking similarities to the development process of independently published comic books. Both mediums, through technological advancements, open up new forms of discovery and experimentation that were previously unattainable in traditional creative pipelines. The concept of "creative fungibility"—the ability to rapidly adapt and rework creative elements in response to new insights—emerges as a key theme in this comparison. Just as comic book creators often pivot between various stages of writing, drawing, and layout without rigid barriers, virtual production and AI allow filmmakers to engage in a similar cycle of continuous discovery. By analyzing the parallels between comic book creation and virtual production workflows, this paper will demonstrate how these emerging technologies offer an intelligent, adaptive framework that redefines the creative process across media.

China's science fiction boom has ignited global interest, catapulting the genre into the spotlight of translation studies. This literary powerhouse demands a razor-sharp balance of artistic brilliance, scientific authenticity, and market appeal. The success of a translated text hinges on the consummate decoding and deft recreation of the intricate contextual nuances that can make or break a work's reception. This paper undertakes an in-depth examination of the multifaceted challenges and innovative strategies involved in translating Chinese science fiction into English. Focusing on the acclaimed translations of Ken Liu, particularly his work on Liu Cixin's seminal The Three-Body Problem, it offers rich insights into navigating political sensitivities, adapting complex narrative structures, and transcending the conventional role of the translator. By analyzing Liu's approach, the study explores how groundbreaking translations like his have contributed to the genre's burgeoning international prominence and significant potential to shape its evolving trajectory within the global literary landscape. Through this contextual and functional analysis, the research sheds light on the pivotal role of translation in propelling Chinese science fiction towards wider recognition and acclaim on the world stage, while also elucidating the specialized skills and perceptive sensibilities required of the science fiction translator.

Fan culture has emerged as a vital force in the overseas dissemination of Chinese web science fiction, with WebNovel playing a pivotal role in this movement. Through various activities of emotional labor - such as reading, commenting, translating, and promoting - Chinese and international sci-fi enthusiasts have collaboratively constructed a unique participatory cultural ecosystem. This not only fosters cross-border exchanges and a deeper fusion of sci-fi cultures but also significantly enhances the global influence and recognition of Chinese culture.

Fans express their admiration and respect for these works by writing in-depth reviews, engaging in online discussions, creating their own content, and voluntarily participating in translation efforts, thereby forming a close-knit community. In this context, fans assume dual roles as both “poachers” and “consumers.” They contribute to the widespread dissemination of these works while also honoring the creators’ efforts by supporting legitimate versions.

WebNovel has provided essential economic support and incentives for the international spread of web science fiction through its effective pay-per-read model. This phenomenon not only challenges the traditional dominance of Western literature in the global arena but also significantly promotes literary diversity worldwide, showcasing the unique charm and rich heritage of Chinese culture. Furthermore, the rise of Chinese web science fiction presents a formidable challenge to the Western sci-fi tradition, offering readers around the globe new dimensions of thought and aesthetic experience.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, space-themed science fiction(SF) flourished amid the US-Soviet space race and technological advancement, with pioneers like Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, and Robert Heinlein exploring themes of human space exploration and contact with extraterrestrial civilizations. These narratives not only shaped the genre but also inspired future Chinese SF writers. In recent decades, as China’s space technology and global influence grow, those writers such as Liu Cixin, Wang Jinkang, and He Xi have gained increasing international recognition. This paper examines how these Chinese authors build on the legacy of their predecessors, incorporating features such as scientific imagination, menacing others, and ephemeral humans in their creation. Furthermore, it explores how they infuse their works with unique Chinese cultural elements, including mythological tales, philosophical doctrines, and lyrical verses. In a word, Chinese space-themed SF is poised to delve into deeper existential themes, fostering global cultural exchange and expanding the scope of future environmental humanity studies and the imaginative possibilities for humanity’s future in space.

The power of “imagination” has emerged as an essential facet of cultural soft power, with the competition for the right to define future world imaginaries becoming a new focal point in today’s global power dynamics. As the vehicle of national “imagination,” Chinese science fiction, which originated during the late Qing Dynasty through translation and imitation of Western SF, has now gained significant influence in the West through “transmedial” and “socialized” ways of dissemination, manifesting the evolving patterns of East-West cultural exchange. In the era of digital globalization, the rise of media convergence and participatory culture has given birth to new cultural paradigms, namely, the integration of traditional and new media, the inter-permeation of grassroots and institutional media, and the continuous interactions between media producers and consumers, giving rise to a decentralized dissemination model featured by “global participation”. Thus, the century-long “going global of Chinese imagination” has experienced a paradigm shift from reaching the elite to engaging the masses, and from disseminating (Chinese) content to exporting models, exerting an increasingly profound influence on Western culture. This trajectory suggests that leveraging new media to encourage active participation by overseas fans in disseminating Chinese culture and promoting international (re)creations based on Chinese IPs can endow “Chinese imagination” with continued global vitality.

In dialogue with worldwide research on Martian literature, this essay charts the history of how Mars was fantasized and fetishized in modern Chinese science fiction. Although writings of Mars have garnered considerable attention in the West, Chinese Martian novels wait to be scrutinized, indicating an avenue to prompt reflections on the pivotal role of Mars in articulating terrestrial affects, anxieties, and believes embedded in the fabric of world literature. Ever since H. G. Wells’s (1898) most renowned The War of the Worlds was translated into Chinese in 1915, Western Martian fiction continued to be translated and trans-adapted into Chinese, alongside domestic creations that likewise attempted to symbolize the Mars. Inspired by Ray Bradbury’s own comment on his The Martian Chronicles, “Mars is a mirror, not a crystal.” This essay employs Mars as a method to “mirror” not only the perceived images of modern China in the eyes of Chinese writers but also the specular intersection between Chinese and Western Martian fiction. The 1915 translation of The War of the Worlds marks a pivotal moment in the development of Chinese Martian fiction that regardless of its degree of adherence or innovation, falls under the influence of Wells’s literary legacy. Chinese Martian fiction therefore is somewhat cognate with its Western counterpart, embodying as a mirrored pair. I resort to the trope of “the distorting mirror” to underscore this reflective process mediated by translations of not only Wells’s novel but also other foreign Martian narratives. Seventeen years later, in 1935, Lao She’s Cat Country developed and sophisticatedly localized this genre. I draw upon the metaphor of the “demon-revealing mirror” (zhaoyao jing) from Chinese mythology to examine Lao She’s satire, which is a self-evident parody of Western Martian fiction characterized by evident touches of traditional Chinese fiction—the non-human feline inhabitants of Mars aptly incarnate the spirits of both Western science fiction and Chinese gods-and-demons fiction (shenmo xiaoshuo). In the post-1949 period, Zheng Wenguang’s From the Earth to Mars (1956) is hailed as the socialist state’s first science fiction. The symbolic importance of Mars within Chinese science fiction is again affirmed. Over the span of three decades, Zheng’s three Martian novels, of varying lengths, manifest the influence of socialist aesthetics on Chinese Martian literature. The concept of “the prophetic mirror” is adopted to address the futuristic and socialist-realist features within Zheng’s work, wherein the goal of terraforming Mars is intertwined with the goal of constructing socialist China. I end with a brief survey of more contemporary Martian writings, along with an elaboration on the visual structure of “mirroring the mirror” drawn from the investigation of the Chinse Mars as well as on its implication for the nexuses between Chinese and Western science fiction.

The future is wet. Imagining the future means imagining our relationships with the waters of our planet. Floods abound in climate change fiction, apocalyptic literature and film, and even our daily news. Indeed, troubled waters are part of our collective understanding about what the future will be. The increasing awareness in climate change fiction about water is testament to the growing global anxieties about water and our imagined control over it. Fiction about the future recognizes the problems, and in terms of what will be affected, everything is on the table—the marshes, the oceans, the streams, the rivers, the ponds, the lakes, the estuaries, the aquifers, the ice-sheets, the bogs, the glaciers, the clouds. There are very few places left on the planet where we can safely dip a cup and have quick drink. The rivers and streams that run through all large cities in the world are, to varying degrees, filthy. The oceans are full of plastic. The ice is melting everywhere. The global sea levels are rising. We have long known of the many problems, and fiction about the future is vitally concerned with solutions. Habit, exposure, and scale, however, have weakened our sense of immediacy (as if the problems are in a distant future) and our confidence in our abilities to act effectively (as if individual actions mean nothing). Building on work from seemingly different fields (cognitive psychology, mycology, ecocriticism, cryology, and others), this article will offer an organized set of analyses that demonstrates how preconceptions create the blind spots that prevent us from doing our work as environmental citizens. The future is wet—just how wet depends on how we see and act today. Part of this means confronting the rhetoric of defeat and the apparatus of failure that structures our understandings of things that are either below the surface (thermohaline patterns, for instance) or that are dissolved beyond visibility (such as radiation-contaminated waters). Using texts as varied as Moby Dick and Odds Against Tomorrow (among others), I will offer a methodology for understanding both that our perceptual horizons are limited with regard to water and, perhaps more importantly, that change is still possible.

For Will Alexander, a contemporary African-American poet strongly influenced by

surrealism, our current time of ecological crisis is occasioned by the legacies of

colonial inhabitations. While outlining how colonialism’s first victims were groups and

races of people, he insists that this planetary schema implicated ecosystems and

nonhuman life. His writings are therefore pervaded by colonialism’s ecological effects

as well as pervasive antiblackness, and in response generate imaginaries beyond

Occidental logics. Beginning with Vertical Rainbow Climber in 1987, his poetry and

related writings persistently attack racialization and ecological exploitation via a

transformative language that ‘simultaneously exists and de-exists’. Destabilizing a

metaphysics of reality sedimented by colonial capitalism, his works create hybrid and

persistently futurist imaginaries that reject linear logic in favour of nonlinear

associations drawn across multiplicities of theories, disciplines and lexicons, where

geology, physics, climatology, astronomy, biology and chemistry, are woven together

with explorations of African and Oriental cultures, spiritual systems and stories. The

relative lack of critical studies on Alexander is a major omission given these

powerfully original renditions of human-nonhuman relations, anthropogenic

disruption and contamination, apocalyptic visions of global warming, shifts from

microcosmic to macrocosmic phenomena, human migration and drift, and

speculations about future life on and beyond Earth. My study therefore presents the

development of Alexander’s global vision up to Exobiology as Goddess of 2004. I

trace the pervasive influence of Caribbean surrealism and its mix of politics,

environmental concerns and universalism, before examining the development of

climatological, geological and evolutionary biological terminologies and images. I

then chart how this develops into questions of collectivity, contamination, and

circumstance, which leads into texts haunted by the sense that Anthropocene life

has crossed a threshold of sustainability, and therefore to potentialities for a poetics

of nomadism, hybridization, and ecological entanglement.

In his later years (1980-1984), Michel Foucault turned to the study of Western classics and explicitly proposed the concept of "Aesthetics of Existence", conducting a comprehensive investigation of ancient Greece, Hellenistic Rome and the early Christian world around this concept. Since Foucault's death in 1984, this concept has had a huge impact in the Western theoretical circle and has become increasingly important in guiding real life. With the successive publication of Foucault's lectures at the Collège de France in recent years, it has been discovered that the concept of "Aesthetics of Existence" holds a pivotal position in Foucault's entire intellectual career. So, what is the "aesthetics of existence"? Why did Foucault turn to the study of the aesthetics of existence in his later years? This article attempts to explain the specific connotation and practical inspiration of the aesthetics of existence within the context of Foucault's thought on Ethics , arguing that Foucault's genealogical exploration of the aesthetics of existence is not a break from his earlier analysis of the relationship between Power and Knowledge, but rather a response to the crisis of subjectivity and ethical predicament of modern neoliberalism.

The future of the Environmental Humanities is increasingly arboreal. There is a profound importance, now more than ever, for recognizing and understanding the agency of plants in our world and for acknowledging that without plants, humanity simply would not exist—a fact that contemporary literature is increasingly addressing. In The Overstory, by American author Richard Powers, the central issue is the correlation between current environmental crises and failures to communicate with trees. Powers predicts that our continuing dysfunctional relationship with the plant world will culminate in a catastrophic disaster in the near future, and he thus shows that it is critical to re-examine how we conceptualize trees. Drawing on the research of botanists and humanities scholars who engage in “thinking with plants,” particularly anthropologist Eduardo Kohn and philosopher Michael Marder, I will argue that communication is not restricted to language and that traditional anthropocentric notions of intelligence and subjectivity preclude the possibility of recognizing the unique properties of plants—such as their decentralized and networked intelligence, modular structure, and relational modes of existence. For Powers, Kantian anthropocentrism and human exceptionalism, along with the various beliefs that stem from them, blind us to what trees are and how they communicate. Anthropocentric thinking obscures the vital functions and values of trees, leaving visible only those aspects that are directly related to fulfilling human needs. By focusing on plant semiosis and cognition and considering how they might inspire transformations in human social structures, with Marder and Kohn as my touchstones, I will provide a theoretical framework for examining The Overstory’s central questions and will suggest that how we see and conceptualize trees is central to our future.

This presentation examines the emotional language surrounding the term “shachiku” (corporate livestock) through a close analysis of the narrative I Work at a Black Company and I Think I’m at My Limit (Watashi wa Burakku Kaisha ni Tsutometeirun daga, Mou Genkai Kamoshirenai), originally posted on 2channel (２ちゃんねる), Japan’s largest anonymous internet forum.

The text, which began as an anonymous testimony of workplace suffering, gained widespread attention and was later adapted into a novel and film. It reflects the exhaustion, alienation, and psychological entrapment experienced by workers under exploitative conditions in so-called “black companies.” Through this narrative, I explore how precarious labor is emotionalized, how shachiku identity is internalized, and how digital anonymity enables both confession and solidarity.

By situating this story within the broader context of 2channel discourse, I argue that the post functions not merely as personal catharsis but also as a collective emotional document, capturing the shared affect of a generation navigating unstable employment. This analysis contributes to an understanding of how digital narratives mediate labor emotions in contemporary Japanese culture.

My research will focus on the period from the birth of Korea's first dedicated game magazine, 『게임월드(Game World)』 (published by 미래시대, launched August 1990), to the emergence of 『게임매거진(Game Magazine)』 (published by 커뮤니케이션그룹, launched November 1994). 『Game Magazine』 was notable for systematically sectioning and covering not only games but also related media such as animation, models, and TRPGs.

Previously, game strategy guides were often just a section within student computer magazines like 『컴퓨터학습(Computer Study)』 (published by 민컴, launched November 1983). The advent of a dedicated game media meant that the other sections typically found in computer magazines had to be reconfigured within the new format of a game magazine. Therefore, the period from the inception of 『게임월드』 to the birth of 『게임매거진』 offers valuable insight into the journey of this nascent Korean media genre as it refined its unique format.

At the time, game magazines were seen as nearly the sole 'subculture information magazines' capable of providing systematic and historical knowledge and information about games in general, or various related contexts, that were interconnected and expansive, going beyond simply introducing or analyzing games." Considering that Japanese subculture magazines had already functioned as specialized media for their respective fields and developed their own unique formats in the 1980s, the nature of Korean game magazines suggests they couldn't simply mirror Japanese magazine formats. While Japan offered an endless supply of news suitable for magazines—covering games, animation, models, and more—the key challenge for early Korean game magazines was how to effectively arrange this content within a unique format.

Under the hypothesis that this search for a distinct format was the key keyword for the dawn of Korean game magazine history, this study will analyze 『게임월드』, 『게임뉴스(Game News)』 (published by 다선기업, launched August 1991), 『게임챔프(Game Champ)』 (published by 제우미디어, launched December 1992), and 『게이매거진』 as primary sources. By comparing their editorial formats and analyzing the discourses contained within them, this research aims to clarify how these media constructed sections beyond games, how they integrated other subcultures like animation, and how these elements gradually became formalized as staple content within the magazines.

This presentation examines the trends of the fantasy genre in major Korean and Japanese web novel platforms by comparing works categorized as fantasy based on platform-provided metadata. The analysis focuses on KakaoPage and Naver Series in Korea, and Shōsetsuka ni Narō and Kakuyomu in Japan. Using metadata such as genre tags, keywords, and story summaries, the study investigates the differences in thematic and narrative tendencies found in fantasy web novels across the two countries.

In this study, the term "fantasy genre" does not refer to its traditional literary definition, but rather to a practical classification system defined by each platform in accordance with user navigation and service design. Based on this framework, the presentation compares how fantasy web novels differ in narrative and thematic expression, aiming to highlight cultural distinctions in genre trends.

Through this analysis, the study reveals how fantasy web novels diverge between Korea and Japan, and explores the potential of data-driven methods in digital humanities for conducting cross-cultural genre comparison and platform-centered literary research.

This study conducts a comparative analysis of media discourses on the transitional period from the end of the Shōwa era to the beginning of the Heisei era, focusing on articles published between 1989 and 1996 in Asahi Shimbun’s online database and the Zainichi Korean magazine Chunggu. These two outlets—one a major Japanese national newspaper, the other an ethnic publication by the Korean diaspora in Japan—offer distinct perspectives on sociopolitical change during this era of transition. The quantitative phase extracts keywords from both databases and identifies those directly related to Shōwa and Heisei. These keywords are analyzed for relational patterns and used to filter articles for topic modeling and further keyword reanalysis. The qualitative phase examines representative articles from dominant topic clusters, analyzing their discursive structures and thematic orientations. Through this process, the study explores how Zainichi Koreans perceived the era shift, articulated their identity and direction, and how these representations differed from or intersected with narratives in Japanese mainstream media. Ultimately, this research aims to shed light on the cultural and ideological dynamics embedded in the media discourses of a society in historical transition.

A Comparative Analysis of Grave of the Fireflies and the Original Novel” examines the differences between Isao Takahata’s animated film and Akiyuki Nosaka’s original novella, analyzing why the film has often been interpreted as an anti-war narrative or a reflection of Japan’s victim consciousness. Although Takahata stated that his work was not intended as an anti-war film—arguing that true anti-war messages should address the causes of war—audiences inevitably perceive the tragedy of Seita and Setsuko as a condemnation of war. The study focuses on the contrasting portrayals of Seita: in the novel, he is depicted as helpless and passive, indirectly responsible for his sister’s death. In contrast, the film softens these traits, casting him more clearly as a victim of circumstance. This divergence obscures Takahata’s original intent to critique the emotional immaturity and lack of resilience in modern youth. The paper suggests that the failure of the audience to grasp this intent stems from the film’s narrative choices, which elicit sympathy for Seita. Ultimately, the study explores the gap between the director’s message and audience reception, emphasizing the importance of interpretation in media consumption.

In recent years, Russian scholars have shown increasing interest in the culture and literature of the Ewenki people of China. As an important component of Chinese ethnic minority literature, Ewenki literature first began to emerge in written form during the new historical era of socialist construction. The literary works of authors such as Ureltu (b. 1952), Tu Zhiyong (b. 1952), Anna (b. 1954), Qing Sheng (b. 1956), and Du Mei (b. 1963) have played a significant role in the development of Ewenki literature. Although only a few works by Ureltu and Qing Sheng have been translated into Russian, Ureltu remains the only author whose works have truly captured the attention and scholarly analysis of Russian academia. The first Russian translation of Ureltu's works can be traced back to the 1980s. Yet, it is only in the past five years that Russian scholars have begun to conduct academic research on his literary works. This phenomenon raises several questions: Why have Ureltu's works suddenly attracted the attention of Russian academia nearly forty years after their initial translation? How do Russian scholars understand and accept Ureltu’s literary creation? Are their interpretations of his works accurate? Are there instances of misinterpretation or omission in their readings of the texts? If so, what are the causes of such misreadings or omissions? By exploring these issues, we can gain a deeper understanding of the academic reception and dissemination of Ureltu’s works in Russia, and provide valuable insights for the cross-cultural transmission of Chinese Ewenki literature.

Prosaics is a new term proposed by American scholar Morson in 1988 during the study of Bakhtin's philosophy and literary ideas, as well as Tolstoy's novels. If Bakhtin proposed the polyphonic theory based on Dostoevsky's novels, then the prose nature of prosaic life in Bakhtin's theory is in line with Tolstoy's creative and philosophical aesthetics. This is a worldview prospect based on Bakhtin's Metalingustics or special prosaic disordered self-consciousness, by which to rethink the philosophy of life or creative philosophy. From Bakhtin's Literary theory to philosophical aesthetics, Bakhtin attempted to connect ethics with every moment of life, believing that all current perspectives on ethics are rigid, ignoring the most essential factors that deviate from the norm. Reflected in the following aspects. From a philosophical perspective, prosaics, It is a way of thinking, a way of viewing the essence of existence, the essence of the world and life, and a philosophy that is anti-ideologoical, emphasizing the importance of plain daily life.From the literary perspective: Russian literature has always had a systematic tradition of reflection, Tolstoy believed that "art only begins in the slightest." If poetry reflects moments of passion, prose often begins in a mundane and everyday way. In literary thought, it is related to poetics A relative term that includes novel，Putting it above the genre of poetry is Bakhtin's unique idea, as opposed to formalism poetic. For a long time, prose has been neglected by formalists, as well as strucruralism. Bakhtin did not simply replace poetics with prose studies, but completely changed the concept of literary genres. Bakhtin proposed new insights into literary form, which means that theories from Aristotle to Russian formalism need to be reassessed. and Bakhtin attempted to connect ethics with every moment of life, believing that all current perspectives on ethics are rigid, ignoring the most essential factors that deviate from the norm. The idea is precisely driven by the need for a correct understanding of the attributes of novels.

At the ethical level, both Bakhtin and Tolstoy have found unique ways to solve ethical problems. Bakhtin attempted to connect ethics with every moment of life, believing that all current perspectives on ethics are rigid, ignoring the most essential factors that deviate from the norm.

Lu Xun, one of the most influential figures in modern Chinese literature and intellectual history, made substantial contributions to the introduction of Western literature into China. As both a translator and editor, Lu Xun regarded translation not as a mere linguistic endeavor but as a profound instrument for expanding intellectual horizons and facilitating cultural transformation. He positioned literature as a medium through which to challenge entrenched traditions and provoke critical thought, particularly during a period of profound national crisis and social upheaval.

A Collection of Foreign Novels (Yuwai Xiaoshuo Ji), an important project edited and partially translated by Lu Xun in the early 20th century, serves as a notable example of his efforts to introduce Western literary works to Chinese audiences. The collection sought to reflect Lu Xun’s broader cultural and ideological aspirations by featuring translations of short stories and novellas from a diverse array of authors and languages.

Lu Xun’s approach to translation illustrates his conviction that literature should function as a tool for cultural critique and social transformation. His methodology combined fidelity to the original text with carefully considered adaptations that aligned with the linguistic and cultural sensibilities of Chinese readers.

In addition to the translated texts, the visual design of the collection—encompassing elements such as cover art and formatting—embodied a synthesis of Eastern and Western artistic traditions. This design approach symbolized the cross-cultural dialogue that Lu Xun sought to cultivate through his work.

As a whole, A Collection of Foreign Novels remains a paradigmatic example of Lu Xun’s contribution to modern Chinese literary and cultural history. It exemplifies his use of translation as a means to foster intellectual engagement and cultural renewal. This study investigates Lu Xun’s translation work within the collection, focusing on its historical context, source materials, and the strengths and limitations of his translation strategies, as well as the dynamic interactions between the translations and other paratextual elements of the collection. By doing so, it situates Lu Xun’s efforts within the broader cultural and intellectual transformations of early 20th-century China.

Karel Slavíček, S.J. (Yan Jiale, 1678-1735), born in the village of Imlamov in Moravia, joined the Society of Jesus in 1694. Skilled in music, mathematics, and astronomy, Slavíček's broad knowledge made him an ideal candidate for a mission to China. During his time there, he diligently learned Chinese and studied ancient Chinese texts, earning him the distinction of being the first Sinologist of the Czech Lands. In the 1930s, the Czech Jesuit Josef Vraštil compiled and translated Slavíček's letters into Czech from their original Latin. These letters were later edited and annotated by Czech Sinologist Josef Kolmaš, gathered and supplemented the correspondence between Slavíček and European astronomers. These letters are divided into two parts. The first consists of personal letters in which Slavíček shares his experiences as a missionary in China, including his initial impressions of the unfamiliar land, reflections on Chinese culture and morality, and the circumstances of his missionary work. As a missionary, Slavíček was a firsthand witness to the 18th-century debates on Chinese rituals, leaving invaluable documentation of this historical period.The second part comprises academic correspondence with European scholars. Slavíček made several significant cartographic and astronomical observations in China and sent his findings to Europe. His main correspondents were Teofil Sigfrid Bayer in St. Petersburg and Étienne Souciet in Paris. These letters, which cover a wide range of topics, delve into Chinese classical culture and hold substantial historical value for understanding European perspectives on Chinese advancements, particularly in mathematics and astronomy. This body of correspondence provides compelling evidence of Europe's profound interest in Chinese intellectual achievements during this period and stands as a significant record of the historical exchange of knowledge and culture between East and West. Moreover, it played a pivotal role in popularizing Oriental correspondence in 18th-century Europe, sparking widespread fascination with Chinese thought, customs, and scientific innovations.

This article explores Dostoevsky’s views on the “Eastern Question” as expressed in his journalistic and literary works, shedding light on how his perspective both mirrored and influenced Russian intellectual thought during the 19th century.

The “Eastern Question” which emerged in the early 18th century alongside the gradual decline of Ottoman power, evolved into a critical issue in international politics by the 19th century. As the Ottoman Empire weakened, European powers vied for control over political and economic interests in the Middle East, intensifying geopolitical competition.

In this context, the Russian Empire played a central role. Beginning with Peter the Great’s reign, Russia pursued the strategic goal of gaining access to the Black Sea. Over the course of nearly a century, this ambition became not only a defining feature of Russian foreign policy but also a key issue that resonated across all layers of Russian society, from the political elite to the common people, shaping both public discourse and national identity.

Dostoevsky viewed Russia’s actions as just, framing them as both a religious duty to protect Orthodox Christians and a historical mission to support Slavic peoples. In A Writer’s Diary, he depicted the “Eastern Question” not merely as a political challenge, but as a spiritual and cultural calling for Russia. He believed that resolving this issue could unite the Russian people in much the same way the Patriotic War of 1812 had, offering a solution to the social divisions that had deepened in the wake of Peter the Great’s reforms.

Dostoevsky’s perspective on the “Eastern Question” reflects broader currents in Russian nationalism and Pan-Slavism, positioning Russia as both the protector of Orthodox Christianity and a unifier of Slavic nations against European encroachment. His views underscore the complex interplay between geopolitics, religion, and national identity that defined Russia’s political landscape during this era.

This article compares Mikhail Sholokhov’s One Man’s Destiny with Yu Hua’s To Live, exploring the similarities and differences in their portrayals of personal suffering. Both novels share elements such as life experiences, the roots of suffering, the protagonists’ resilient spirits, and the use of a dual narrative structure. However, the distinctions between the two novels are crucial. Firstly, the construction of time differs significantly. In One Man’s Destiny, Sokolov follows chronological markers, creating a linear progression of life where the deceased rarely “return.” In contrast, To Live captures significant events through a personal and subjective lens, where the end of life signifies the “duration” of time. Secondly, the experience of suffering is portrayed differently. Sokolov, burdened by the trauma of war, fights against fate like a heroic warrior, seeking survival while feeling isolated and aware of the world’s indifference. Conversely, Fugui, despite numerous life changes and the loss of loved ones, finds warmth amid sorrow, enriched by kinship, friendship, and love. Thirdly, the relationship between narrators varies. In One Man’s Destiny, the narrator "I" functions as a witness and listener, supplementing details about Sokolov and his adopted son, and conveying the trauma of war. The narration centers on Sokolov, with minimal focus on the narrator "I". In To Live, the story is narrated by a folklorist who intertwines perspectives over a decade, linking past and present through Fugui’s memories. This interaction enriches the story and fosters the growth of characters . Through a comparative study of these two works, we gain insights into the distinct expressions of suffering by Chinese and Russian writers. Despite their differences, both authors convey a universal message: while suffering is inevitable, a resilient spirit enables us to transcend adversity and embrace a renewed life.

As the founding figure of 20th-century Russian Sinology, Vasily Mikhaylovich Alekseyev developed a unique approach to Confucian interpretation through both fieldwork and textual translation. Based on Alekseyev’s travelogue and works on Confucianism, this paper explores his views on literature (Wen) and Dao, and examines their significance in Sinology. Alekseyev’s interpretation reveals a dualistic character: literature is classified into two categories—Confucian classics and aesthetic literature, and Dao is associated with metaphysical truth and ethical moral practice. Moreover, Alekseyev emphasized the material and authoritative characteristics of literature as a medium for conveying the intangible Dao. He further interpreted the phrase “Literature is the carrier of Dao” as an elitist mechanism for civilizational education. In this cross-cultural interpretative study, Alekseyev’s understanding of the relationship between literature and Dao also influenced his construction of Chinese literary history and his translation strategies, while engaging in dialogue with the Russian literary tradition from which he originated.

As one of the important categories of Chinese philosophy, “virtue” is an important foundation for the development of Chinese philosophy. Artem Igorevich Kobzev, a famous contemporary Russian sinologist, firstly traces the definition of “virtue” in the Shang-Yin era. A.I. Kobzev is not only good at grasping important categories in ancient Chinese philosophical classics from the perspective of comparative philosophy, but also discusses the corresponding translations of “virtue” in different cultural contexts, such as Russia and the West, for example. In particular, from the perspective of comparative philosophy, the similarities and differences between “virtue” and “goodness” in ancient Greek philosophy are compared. The relationship between “virtue” and the related concepts of “goodness” and “Tao” in Chinese philosophy is also discussed.

The multiple meanings of “virtue” are fully reflected in the thought of the Hundred Schools of Thought during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. A.I. Kobzev analyzes the presentation of “virtue” and its multiple meanings in the Confucian classics. In addition to analyzing its meaning in the Confucian classics, A.I. Kobzev also explores the meaning of “virtue” in the classics of the Hundred Schools of Thought, such as Taoism, Mohism, the School of War, and the School of Law. Adopting a historical-philosophical approach and within the framework of the development of Chinese philosophical history, A.I. Kobzev continues to explore the interpretation of “virtue” in the context of the metaphysicians of the Wei and Jin dynasties, as well as the Song and Ming philosophers. For example, He Yan, Wang Bi, Zhu Xi, and Wang Yangming, and advances the evolution of the meaning of “virtue” to the views of Qing and modern scholars such as Wang Chuanshan, Dai Zhen, Zhang Xuecheng, Tan Sitong, and Mou Zongsan. In this way, A.I. Kobzev has generally explored the multiple meanings of “virtue” in ancient Chinese philosophy and its evolution.

In order to take a more comprehensive view of the meaning of “virtue”, we will not only analyze the focus of Russian sinologists' interpretations of “virtue”, but will also use comparative philosophical methods to explore the interpretations of “virtue” by modern Chinese scholars as well as by Western scholars. The method of comparative philosophy will also be used to explore the interpretation of “virtue” by modern Chinese scholars and Western scholars. In this way, we will compare the similarities and differences in the interpretations of “virtue” by Russian, Chinese and Western scholars, and further explore the deeper ideological and cultural roots of such similarities and differences, with a view to exploring whether there is any fairness or cultural misinterpretation in the understanding of Chinese culture in Russia, China and the West, and to achieve the purpose of a kind of civilizational exchanges and mutual understanding.

The Scholars is the pinnacle of satirical novels by Chinese literati of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and has been handed down in many languages in the international Sinological community, making it one of the masterpieces of world literature. The full translation of The Scholars, translated and published by the Russian sinologist Voskresensky in 1959, presents the spirit of the original in a complete and exhaustive manner, while supplementing it with a wealth of paratextual information. Starting from the perspective of Imagologie, we explain the transmission and image shaping of Chinese cultural elements in the Russian translation of the paratext of The Scholars, reveal the Chinese cultural image constructed in the main text based on corpus translation, and explore the internal mechanism and literary significance of its formation. The exotic image constructed by the translators provides Russian readers with a unique vision of Chinese society, which is of great research significance and cultural value in promoting self-knowledge, enhancing cultural exchanges between China and Russia, and improving the image of the country.

Dating back to the beginning of the 18th century, the Russian academic circle had already begun to introduce Confucianism，and there has been an uninterrupted stream of people translating and introducing Confucianism until the 21 st century. At the turn of the 20th and 21 st centuries，the Russian Sinology community published the six-volume Encyclopedia of Chinese spiritual Culture，which was edited by Academician Mikhail Leontevich Titarenko，the fifth chairman of the International Confucian Association，and received high attention from the leaders of both China and Russia. It offered an objective and “outsider” interpretation of the value of Confucianism from the perspectives of Confucian figures，schools，concepts and so on. For the same Confucian concept，The Encyclopedia of Chinese spiritual Culture provided cross-interpretations with the help of different disciplines, also, it had cross-interpretations with other Sinology works of the same period. When the value of Confucianism is studied，it should be noted that the Western Sinology community conspired with the intellectual community to indulge in the delusion that capitalism was the end of history. They once put forward the views that Confucianism was not adaptable to modernization and that Confucianism had become a “museum exhibit”. The Encyclopedia of Chinese Spiritual Culture broke through such delusions and demonstrated the vitality of the modern transformation of Confucianism.

The Collection of Foreign Novels (Yuwai Xiaoshuo Ji, 1909), co-translated by Lu Xun and Zhou Zuoren, represents a significant milestone in the emergence of modern Chinese literature. Of the included works, three stories (two by Leonid Andreyev and one by Vsevolod Garshin) were translated by Lu Xun from German, while the remaining 13 were rendered by Zhou Zuoren from English. This study examines the English translations of Chekhov’s works used by Zhou Zuoren, and Zhou’s intentions, strategies, and misreadings in translating Chekhov. By doing so, it seeks to elucidate Chekhov’s influence on the development of modern Chinese literature and the short story as a literary form in the modern Chinese literature.

Abstract: The epic poem "Manas" is a cultural bearer that unites the spirituality of the Kyrgyz people and a monument in living form that manifests the charm of oral literature. The Manas has become world-famous through the transmission and singing of the Manasch, and its related research has been promoted in several countries in a planned and scaled manner. Among them, Manaschism in Russia is the earliest started and the most mature. Russian Manaschis and Manasology experts continue to document, study, and promote the epic. The Russian scholarly community has focused on the epic nature and ethnohistorical value of Manaschka, and the 100-year history of research reflects the interdisciplinary nature of research thinking, the disciplinary specialization of research results, and the internationalization of the scale of research. The Russian research community has not only solved the basic problem of the classical construction of the epic through exploration and research, but also made an important contribution to the promotion of national spirit. Therefore, it is worthwhile to learn from its research process, refer to its research experience, and reflect on its current situation, so as to contribute to a new level of research on Manas in the world.

Chinese cultural canons are the concentrated expression of traditional Chinese philosophical thought and cultural essence. As a key initiative of the strategy of ‘Chinese culture going out’, Russian translation of canonical books has built a bridge between Chinese and Russian culture.With the cultural turn in translation studies，The historical and cultural context behind the act of translation and the issue of translator subjectivity have received increasing attention in translation studies. Differences in identity also determine the ideology behind the act of translation, the cultural background and the linguistic style of the translated text, which ultimately leads to the formation of unused translation styles, and conveys a very different cultural ideology and image of China to the outside world, and this results in a different culture-shaping force.

Among Russian sinologists, Lukyanov (Анатолий Евгеньевич Лукьянов) stands out for his comparative philosophical and cultural typological approach. He has a fascination with ancient Chinese culture, “Tao” and “archetype” and the relationship between “Ren” and “Tao” are two pairs of key concepts in his study of ancient Chinese culture. Lukyanov has a very clear understanding of the rhythmic nature of the Chinese canon and argues that none of the sinologists who preceded him realized the problem of the rhythmic nature of the Chinese canon.

On the basis of this, this paper intends to combine the theory of manipulation in the cultural school of translation studies with the theory of translational behavior in the German functional school of translation studies, examining Lukyanov's translation of the Chinese canons from three basic aspects: ideology, poetics, and patronage, respectively. In terms of ideology, it mainly examines the translator's cultural identity in the historical, social and contemporary context in which Lukyanov lived. In terms of poetic, it mainly examines Lukyanov's choice of translation strategy based on his cultural identity, the inner laws of the text and his own poetic view of translation, as well as the translator's value orientation behind this choice of translation strategy. In terms of patronage, this paper will focus on the influence of Lukyanov's ‘moral’ school of Russian Sinology on his direction of research, his target audience, and his choice of translation strategies. On the basis of research in the three areas mentioned above, this paper goes beyond the level of linguistic research to expand the research horizon to the translator's personal background, emotional tendency and the social communication dynamics in which he lived, aiming to construct a three-dimensional translation history of Lukyanov's person and expecting to provide more insights and references for the Russian translation of Chinese canons.

Abstract: Before and after World War II, there was a surge of interest in Chinese poetics in Czech, driven by the friendly relations between China and Czech at the time. A group of scholars researching China dedicated themselves to absorbing the essence of Chinese culture for the development of their own society. In 1944, four songs adapted from Chinese poetry were sung in the Terezin concentration camp, created by the imprisoned musician Pavel Hass (1899–1944) based on translations of ancient Chinese poetry by Czech translator Bohumil Mathesius (1888–1952). The ideals of eternity, balance, and harmony expressed in Chinese poetry constructed a "utopia" in the hearts of the Czech people during the Nazi regime, helping to soothe the psychological trauma of innocent victims of war. Czech scholars employed Marxist literary theory to carve out an interpretative path for Chinese poetics that bridged the ancient and modern, as well as Eastern and Western perspectives. This allowed Chinese poetry to become a warm current flowing into the spiritual homeland of the people amidst the fires of war. In a time of severe national crisis, the Czech people, caught between socialism and capitalism, yearned to find a social development path to address their problems. They employed Marxist theory to explore the realm of traditional Chinese poetics in search of spiritual nourishment that aligns with modern societal values, seeking cultural strength embedded with modern genes within the ancient wisdom of the East.

King Gesar is a long epic that gathers the collective wisdom of the Tibetan people in China. It has flowed to different ethnic groups and places through many modes of dissemination, such as trade and commerce exchanges, wars, artists' singing, and Tibetan Buddhism. In the long process of transmission, Gesar constantly adapts to the new requirements of life and undergoes several innovations, which not only leaves traces of the changing times, but also compatibilises the different national temperaments of Mongolian, Tibetan and Buryat into Gesar, making an important contribution to the enrichment of the world's literature and the inter-ethnic cultural exchanges. The research of Gesar in Russia can be divided into three stages. The first stage began in the late 18th century, when scholars discovered Gesar and traced its origins, and the research on Gesar was interrupted in the 1940s due to the influence of political factors; the second stage began in the mid-20th century, when the reputation of Gesar was restored, and its research was put on the right track, and the pioneers of Gesarology devoted themselves to the collection, collation, translation, publication, and research of Gesar to lay an important foundation for the development of Russian Gesarology. The third stage began in the 21st century, when a new generation of Gesar scholars injected new vigour into the study of Gesar, and a wealth of academic and folk activities promoted the inheritance and development of Gesar.

Remembering the dead has long been a central motif in poetry, perhaps all the more so in national literatures that are tied to turbulent histories like that of Korea and Poland. Both countries have endured numerous foreign occupations, violent conflicts, and political upheavals that led to deaths on a mass scale and subsequent collective trauma. Put differently, their land- and cityscapes have become memoryscapes that inextricably bind the present to grim chapters of the past. In this paper, I wish to explore the works of Polish poet Czesław Miłosz and Korean poet Kim Hyesoon, comparing and contrasting their poetics of remembering the victims of past conflict and tragedy. Although coming from different cultural backgrounds (Polish-Lithuanian in the case of Miłosz and Korean in the case of Kim) and different time periods (Miłosz was active primarily in the twentieth century while Kim is a contemporary poet), both share key features that lend themselves to a comparative study. Focusing on Miłosz’s post-World War II poetry collection Rescue (1945) and Kim’s Autobiography of Death (2016) published after the Sewol ferry disaster in Korea, I shall trace how both poets merge the world of the living with that of the dead as their language layers physical settings with the memory and even voices of the deceased. I also intend to show how Miłosz and Kim exhibit analogous poetic tendencies (e.g. their preference for metonyms over metaphors) as they find inspiration in their respective native (i.e. non-Christian) traditions, both of which are steeped in a form of animism that recognizes the continual and persistent presence of the dead.

The flow of world culture, which has been centered on Western culture, is changing. The Western-centered culture that has led the world’s culture for a long time is facing new challenges. Among the various cultures leading the challenges and changes is the Korean Wave cultural content. The peak of popular culture, previously symbolized by Hollywood and Broadway, is now being reproduced in Gangnam and Hongdae in Korea. Young people around the world now enjoy singing not only the songs of American pop stars but also the songs of Korean idols. This phenomenon includes Europe, America, Asia, and Africa. Some young people around the world who are engrossed in the Korean Wave cultural content are expanding their interest to traditional Korean food, aesthetic values, dramas, and movies through K-pop.

Young people in New York enjoy kimchi and bulgogi as everyday food. This phenomenon is not a simple trend, but a trend of a new cultural era. The concept of ‘Korean Wave,’ which started in China in the late 1990s when Korean dramas became popular, has expanded to other Asian countries. The huge flow of Korean cultural content was confirmed by the global popularity of ‘Gangnam Style’ by ‘Psy’ in 2012. In addition, the emergence of ‘BTS’ reaffirmed that the potential of Korean cultural content is not temporary. ‘BTS’ global popularity captured the hearts of fans around the world with their sincere message and outstanding performance. ‘BTS’ ranked first on the ‘Billboard Hot 100’ in the US, was nominated for a Grammy, and gave a speech at the UN. Recently, the popularity of this Korean cultural content is expanding to the fashion and beauty industries. In particular, the Korean movie ‘Squid Game’ became a sensation by reaching number one on Netflix charts in 94 countries around the world. In addition, various Korean films have captured the attention of people around the world. This means that ‘K-content’ such as movies, dramas, beauty, fashion, and food are not content exclusive to a specific region, but are becoming mainstream global popular culture.

Behind the success of Korean Wave content, there was fierce effort and innovation. Korean entertainment companies established systematic training systems and invested in content production using cutting-edge technology. In addition, Korea’s unique delicate storytelling and high-quality directing became key factors in capturing the hearts of people around the world. The sustainability of Korean Wave content is increasing as new generations of stars continue to emerge and expand into various genres. The attractiveness of Korean Wave content can be found in the aspect of a cultural revolution created by the meeting of Eastern sentiments with thousands of years of history and cutting-edge digital technology. In other words, the greatest appeal of Korean Wave content can be found in the exquisite harmony of ‘tradition and modernity.’ For example, ‘Squid Game’ is a perfect harmony of traditional Eastern values ​​and modern sensibilities.

People all over the world have experienced the fun and charm of the unique glocal value that reinterprets traditional Korean games in a modern way. In addition, the characters in ‘Squid Game’ have secured a sense of empathy by reproducing the joys and sorrows of reality that anyone around the world can experience. Ultimately, the core attractive factor of Korean Wave cultural content is the universal values ​​of life that people around the world can empathize with and the glocal value that includes Korea’s unique emotions and culture. Korean wave content is gaining popularity by forming empathy through universal values ​​and securing fun through unique values. Korean Wave content is currently going beyond a simple trend and creating a new cultural identity. Young people around the world who are enthusiastic about Korean Wave content are naturally merging their local culture with ‘K-culture’, showing new possibilities for glocal culture. For example, Korean Wave fans hold ‘Korean Wave festivals’ and connect their local traditional culture with Korean Wave music. This is a new phenomenon that respects cultural diversity while forming a global cultural community.

The changes in our daily lives brought about by the Korean Wave are only just beginning. The Korean Wave is evolving into a new form beyond imagination with the development of AI and metaverse technology. A new horizon of the Korean Wave created by AI and metaverse is beginning. K-pop idols are no longer restricted by physical space. The combination of holograms and AI technology has made it possible to enjoy realistic concerts in real time anywhere in the world. Customized music and choreography created by AI perfectly reflect the tastes of fans, and idols and fans interact beyond borders and time in the metaverse. K-drama is evolving into interactive content where viewers become the main characters of the story. Real-time translation and localization services utilizing AI technology can completely break down cultural barriers.

In a world rapidly embracing Artificial Intelligence—whether willingly or unwillingly—the discourse surrounding AI Usage in Art and Literature, particularly Generative AI, should take care to include Online Fan Spaces or Fandoms, as they can be vital in understanding the broader repercussions of the forced inclusion of AI in our daily lives. Fandoms are essential to understanding modern cultural phenomena. What was once relegated to specialised forums and chat rooms and carefully curated zines and merchandise now occupies a much bigger space—and role. Fandoms foster creativity, enabling and enriching the participants without the pressures demanded by an institution or industry. It creates a space for cross-cultural harmony, blurring geographical and linguistic boundaries through the anonymity and connection the internet offers, allowing people to explore media in non-native tongues, fostering dialogues built on a common goal of creation and enjoyment, almost functioning as a microcosm—or as ‘micro’ as something as the internet can be, existing on such a large, boundaryless scale. As such, I will be using online fandoms, particularly K-pop Fandom on X (formerly known as Twitter), to examine how the AI boom has eroded the sense of the “human” in the creative process by ushering in a new breed of objectification.

A performance-oriented genre, K-pop is known for its gruelling and effective trainee system and its emphasis on creating a core fandom with a steady stream of content employing parasociality. There exists criticism of this parasocial behaviour in K-pop, which often relegates the idols to a mere object for the fans’ consumption, forcing them to conform to a predetermined idea of what the fans would want and prefer, assigning character traits and behaviours, taking up the role of an ideal boyfriend/girlfriend, promoting a culture that turns deeply antagonistic and entitled should the idol stray from the role decided for them. Through this paper, I want to explore how the rise of Artificial Intelligence has proven detrimental to the K-pop industry and its fanbase, exacerbating these pre-existing issues of objectification and dehumanisation by undermining the idols’ rights and labour. In particular, I want to look at three separate incidents tying into a larger framework of labour exploitation and consumer entitlement: deepfaked likeness of an idol without prior consent (SM Entertainment using AI-generated footage of Lee Taeyong for the Intro: Wall to Wall MV), deepfakes to perpetuate ‘fan wars’ (pornographic and otherwise defamatory content of idols created with the help of AI and spread on social media sites), and Generative AI as a means to increase parasocial behaviour. This paper will hinge on the larger question of where the idol ends and the human begins in this ever-changing cultural landscape that seeks to redefine and reconstitute what makes art and artists.

This paper explores the complex dynamics of migration and diaspora in East Asian literature, focusing on their role in shaping global networks and identities. By examining the works of various East Asian authors, the study delves into themes of displacement, cultural hybridity, and the quest for belonging amidst rapid globalization. It begins with a historical overview of migration patterns in East Asia, influenced by economic, political, and social factors, and their impact on both sending and receiving countries. The paper then analyzes literary representations of migration and diaspora, highlighting the challenges faced by migrants and the resilience of diasporic communities. It discusses the formation of hybrid identities within global networks, emphasizing the role of literature as a bridge between cultures. Finally, the study underscores the importance of East Asian literature in illuminating the complexities of identity formation and the challenges and opportunities presented by migration and diaspora in an interconnected world.