Shenzhen University 2026 Science Fiction Academic Season

深圳大学2026科幻学术季

Lecture 1: The Meaning of Chinese Culture in Foreign Narratives

第一讲——中国文化域外叙事中的意义

Lecture Information

Speaker: Professor Zhang Bing (Guangdong University of Foreign Studies / Peking University)

Host: Professor Jiang Yuqin (Shenzhen University)

Time: 8:30 AM, April 3, 2026

Venue: Large Conference Room, School of Humanities

Abstract: The literary cultures of different nations have distinct developments and characteristics, yet they are always interconnected and in dialogue with one another through various means. It is through continuous interaction and exchange that the diverse and vibrant tapestry of human civilization transcends barriers and conflicts, revealing each culture’s unique charm. At the same time, through the fusion and mutual learning of heterogeneous civilizations, these cultures gain enrichment and expansion, radiating new value and meaning. As an important component of world civilization and culture, Chinese culture has, over the long and complex course of Sino-foreign cultural exchange and transmission, disseminated Chinese knowledge and spiritual traditions in multiple ways, influencing and shaping other cultures. Among these, the foreign narratives of Chinese culture—especially the ways in which Chinese culture has been narrated and written in the development of Russian cultural history, and how Chinese culture and its literature are represented by Russian literary creators, artists, and translators—reveal the multiple layers of value and meaning embedded in the foreign narratives of Chinese culture.

Professor Zhang Bing；Professor Jiang Yuqin

More reading:

WeChat post link:

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/YfSlRPCLUWbNZRlJJ46lAg

Lecture 2: Speculative Ecology: Interpreting Latin American Contemporary Art from a Science Fiction Perspective

第二讲——推想生态学：以科幻视角解读拉丁美洲当代艺术

Lecture Information

Time: 10:00 AM, April 7, 2026

Venue: Large Conference Room, School of Humanities

Speaker: Professor Joanna Page (University of Cambridge)

Host: Professor Jiang Yuqin (Shenzhen University)

Abstract: Science fiction studies typically focus on literature and cinema, but what happens when its narrative strategies and epistemological methods are adopted by visual artists? This lecture explores how contemporary Latin American artists employ various strategies of science fiction—including cognitive estrangement, speculative biology, posthumanism, world-building, and cross-species encounter—to develop their artistic practices. In their works, these artists borrow and transform forms and methods commonly associated with the production of scientific knowledge, such as classification systems, taxidermy, model-making, and prototype experimentation. In doing so, they interrogate how scientific authority is constructed, what it obscures or erases, and whether scientific knowledge can be reimagined in more plural and diverse ways. The lecture will focus on the works of artists such as Tomás Saraceno, Gilberto Esparza, Joaquín Fargas, Walmor Corrêa, and the art collective Interspecifics, exploring how speculative aesthetics are used to reconfigure the relationships between humans, technology, and non-human life. Interpreting contemporary Latin American art through a science fiction framework reveals the potential of speculative aesthetics as a form of decolonial environmental thought, opening up new understandings and imaginative pathways for planetary futures in the context of ecological crisis.

Professor Joanna Page；Professor Jiang Yuqin

Professor Joanna Page;s visit is supported by the NJU International Fellowship Initiative of Nanjing University. This lecture at Shenzhen University is supported by the Social Science Department of Shenzhen University and the Digital Humanities Research Center of the School of Humanities, Shenzhen University.

More reading:

WeChat post link:

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Nogl-QvyvrTrZYPxUZV6pA

Lecture 3: “The Cognitive Subject: The Future of Human and Non-Human Symbionts” & “Digital Humanities Challenges in Comparative Literature”

第三讲——“认知主体：人类与非人类共生体的未来”&“比较文学中的数字人文挑战”

Lecture Information

Time: 10:00–12:00, April 11, 2026

Speakers:

Professor N. Katherine Hayles (University of California, Los Angeles)

Professor Wang Ning (Shanghai Jiao Tong University / Shanghai University)

Host: Professor Jiang Yuqin (Shenzhen University)

Discussants:

Professor Wang Quan (Beihang University)

Associate Professor Lyu Guangzhao (Fudan University)

Lecture Introduction:

The Cognitive Subject: The Future of Human and Non-Human Symbionts

Abstract: One of the factors contributing to the collapse of Earth;s ecosystems is anthropocentrism, the belief that Homo sapiens is superior to all other species. This view is supported by the notion that humans possess superior cognitive abilities. Therefore, the key to restoring sanity, sustainability, and ecological balance lies in re-evaluating cognition. The Integrated Cognitive Framework (ICF) proposes a relational definition of cognition as a process of interpreting information within a context that links information to meaning. This definition extends cognitive practices and meaning-making to non-human living beings as well as to artificial intelligences such as large language models. In developed societies, most of the work is done by cognitive assemblages—collectives of humans, non-humans, and computational media through which information, interpretation, and decision-making flow. The broader context in which the ICF operates is ecological relationality. This lecture explores its significance through case studies, including the cognitive capacities of microorganisms. It also investigates the cognitive capacities of computational media by analyzing the architecture and text generation of large language models, particularly OpenAI’s Transformer model. Replacing liberal political philosophy with ecological relationality enables us to assume responsibility without re-establishing human dominance, and to make choices that favor a future in which both humans and non-humans flourish together.

Digital Humanities Challenges in Comparative Literature

Abstract: In the current era of artificial intelligence, humanities scholars in the international academic community are vigorously discussing and even debating the issue of digital humanities, as if this technological approach could truly help the humanities overcome their predicaments and build a bridge between technology and the humanities. Nevertheless, digital humanities has indeed had a transformative impact on our teaching and academic research, and it has undoubtedly brought challenges to the research and teaching of traditional humanities scholars. This lecture will build on the academic presentation by N. Katherine Hayles and further elaborate on the feasibility and applicability of distant reading methods in the study of comparative literature and world literature.

Professor N. Katherine Hayles；Professor Wang Ning

Professor Jiang Yuqin；Professor Wang Quan；Associate Professor Lyu Guangzhao 

More reading:

WeChat post link:

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Kt0U266WBjmmhmuA2IdcXQ