Eleventh Global Studies Conference

Abstract

Since the first Confucius institute opened in 2004, it has developed a global network of around 500 institutes and 1000 classrooms at the 10th anniversary, which represents the cultural and intellectual image of China’s rise in the contemporary world. However, when the first Confucius institute was closed at McMaster University in 2013, controversies arose with the accusation of American Association of University Professors. The challenge reached a peak at the University of Chicago, under the influence of the celebrated anthropologist Marshall Sahlins, and echoed in Europe when University of Stockholm decided to close the Confucius institute in its campus. While Confucius had been a popular figure during the Enlightenment, the same name led to confusions and controversies in a global context of cultural exchanges. Together with the “One-Belt-One-Road” initiative, how it will continue to present a Chinese version of globalization?