On June 1st , the symposium under the theme of “Ethnic Identity in the Era of Globalization: China, Russia and Multinational Experience” was held in the School of Advanced International and Area Studies of ECNU.
The School of Advanced International and Area Studies of ECNU and the Valdai Discussion Club in Russia sponsored the conference. Experts from China Foreign Affairs University, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, Fudan University, ECNU, Shanghai International Studies University and the University of National Research University-Higher School of Economics, Russian Information Agency and the Valdai Foundation attended the symposium.
The Valdai Discussion Club, one of the symposium sponsors, expected to understand the Chinese scholars’ researches on the ethnic identity through the symposium. Besides, they also would like to use the symposium as a ‘brain storm’ activity for the 10th anniversary of Valdai Forum to be held in September and to provide the forum with a background report. The School of Advance International and Area Studies of ECNU hoped that the symposium could help integrate the interdisciplinary research strength of relevant fields at home and abroad and open a new research area combining the ethnic identity research with the regional research.
Experts from China and Russia discuss ethnic identity in the era of globalization at the symposium.
Two major consensuses were formed at the conference. First of all, both China and Russia are faced with the coexistence of a variety of ideologies and concept systems, there is no unified cultural space and social consensus, and the efforts to seek consensus appear to be more difficult in the face of the homogenizing challenges posed by globalization and the opening to the outside world. In the second place, the ethnic identity as a concept and a set of narrative possesses a fairly strong "construction".
Written by: Yao Run
Edited by: Liu Jinyu
