Western Ideas and the Development of a New Identity and “Self-Awareness” among Contemporary Chinese Intellectuals

Abstract

This article will examine new developments in Chinese intellectual thought since 1978 by focusing on the central issue of “self-awareness.” The article begins with a discussion of the impact of Western ideas on modern Chinese intellectual discourse. Proceeding from this starting point, the relation between China’s search for modernity and the various new approaches and conceptual changes in Chinese thought during the last fifteen years will be reviewed.\nThis article will also discuss the “paradigm” shift in Chinese intellectual circles and its effect on redefinitions of “self-identity.” The privatization of China’s belief system during the last decade has brought unprecedented intellectual diversity and in-depth reflection. The dramatic social changes which have marginalized China’s intellectuals have also redefined their traditional functions and identity, allowing them to develop a more professionally-oriented consciousness and become less culturally bound.\nThe article concludes that despite uncertainty during this time of transition, Chinese intellectuals’ newly-acquired “self-awareness” will help them adjust to the new climate of intellectual diversity. Rejections of old ideological certitude and abstract universality will enable them to play a more colorful and pluralistic role in society.