The IICS Public Lecture and the 53rd Confucius PhD Forum Held Successfully

 

On February 27th, 2024, the public lecture of Irish Institute for Chinese Studies and the 53rd Confucius PhD Forum was held successfully at the UCD Confucius Institute. Professor Quan Wang from Beihang University delivered a lecture entitled "The Eye/I in Ancient Chinese Thought", exploring with the audience the intricate ways vision and perception have shaped individual subjectivity within ancient Chinese classics. The lecture was held in a hybrid format (both online and offline) and close to one hundred people attended.

During the lecture, Professor Quan Wang dissected how ancient thinkers like Confucius, Hanfeizi and Zhuangzi conceptualize “seeing”. He also compared seeing in western philosophers like Michel Foucault and Jacques Lacan to examine relationships among sight, gaze and subjectivity. At the Q&A session that followed, Professor Quan Wang engaged in interactive discussions with the audience on the theme of "seeing" and "being seen".

After the forum, Professor Liming Wang, Director of the UCD Confucius Institute, presented an honorary certificate and souvenir to Professor Quan Wang. This lecture was well received by the enthusiastic audience.