On October 30, 2025, the 2nd Academic Symposium on Socio-Historical Criticism of Foreign Literature, co-hosted by the Center for the Study of Contemporary Foreign Literature and Culture and the School of Foreign Studies of Nanjing University, was held. Vice President of NJU Lu Xiancai stated that the conference, building upon the achievements of the first symposium, further returned to the fundamental principles of literary creation and upheld the core spirit of the humanities in an era driven by technology.
Professor He Ning, Dean of the School of Foreign Studies at Nanjing University, presided over the opening ceremony. Professor Wang Shouren, the distinguished professor of humanities and social sciences and Director of the Center for the Study of Contemporary Foreign Literature and Culture of NJU, delivered the keynote speech. He offered profound insights into the literary perspectives and critical practices of socio-historical criticism of literature.
In the afternoon, participating scholars presented their studies in nine parallel sessions. The session topics included "Theories and Methodologies of Socio-Historical Criticism in Literature", "Literature and History", "Literature and Society", "Bildungsroman and Identity", "War and Memory", "Landscape, Geography and Nation", "Emotion and Trauma", and "Technology, Posthumanism, and Speculative Fiction".
Professor Yang Jincai hosted the closing ceremony. He noted that the Symposium has now been successfully held twice, gradually evolving into an important platform for academic exchange and intellectual dialogue in this field.
Professor Cao Danhong from the School of Foreign Studies at Nanjing University delivered the concluding remarks. She summarized that the conference facilitated in-depth discussions through the “interaction, intersection, and integration” of literature and socio-history. It blended diachronic and synchronic perspectives, and connected academic exploration, practical concerns, and the needs of national development, making it a high-level academic event.
Translator: Feng Yufei
Editor: Shen Zhuofan, Wang Yingxue
