On November 28, 2023, the public lecture of Irish Institute for Chinese Studies and the 52nd Confucius PhD Forum was held successfully at UCD. The guest speaker Professor Xie Jiangnan from Remin University of China delivered the lecture entitled "Acculturation and Hybridity: Shakespeare and Traditional Chinese Theater". Professor Xie also serves as the Chinese Director of the UCD Confucius Institute . Her research interests include British drama studies, contemporary American studies, and theatre theory. The forum took place through a hybrid format (both online and offline) and attended by nearly a hundred people.
At the lecture, Professor Xie explored the changes that occur when traditional Chinese theatre techniques are applied to perform Shakespearean plays and analyzed the interaction between Shakespearean drama and traditional Chinese theatre from the perspective of cross-cultural theatre studies. At the beginning of the lecture, Professor Xie introduced the topic by showcasing performance videos, allowing the audience to intuitively appreciate and experience the unique features of these performances. Subsequently, Professor Xie delved deeply into the analysis of three representative cases: "Bloody Hands" from 1984, "The Prince's Revenge" from 2005, and "Richard III" from 2012. She elaborated on the stages of cultural integration in each case from the perspectives of "adaptation," "cultural integration," and "hybridity," elucidating the periodic characteristics of cultural fusion in each piece and summarizing the commonalities and specificities within the evolving transformations.
Professor Xie noted that Shakespearean drama serves as a medium for the Chinese to understand Western culture and appreciate the beauty of traditional Chinese theatre. Simultaneously, many Western theatre professionals and audiences gain visibility into and appreciation for Chinese traditional theatre through Shakespearean drama. These interactions witnessed the visibility of Chinese traditional theatre adapted to perform Shakespearean plays on stages across Europe and worldwide. Moving from adaptation to integration, the poetic language, rich content, and philosophical thoughts of Shakespeare merge with the visibility and imagery of Chinese traditional theatre, demonstrating a progression from adaptation to cultural fusion and hybridization. This cross-cultural exchange in theatre is not unidirectional but reciprocal, benefiting both Chinese and Western theatre, fostering a new form of theatre that amalgamates Shakespeare with traditional Chinese theatre.
At the Q&A session, Professor Xie engaged in interactive discussions with the audience on topics such as whether theatre should preserve tradition or innovate and open-source. After the forum, Professor Wang Liming, Director of the UCD Confucius Institute, presented an honorary certificate and commemorative gifts to Professor Xie. This lecture was well received by enthusiastic audience.
都柏林大学中国研究院举办公开讲座暨第52届孔子博士论坛
2023年11月28日，都柏林大学中国研究院成功举办了公开讲座暨第52届孔子博士论坛，中国人民大学谢江南教授应邀作了题为“适应、文化融合与混合性：莎士比亚与传统中国戏剧”的学术讲座。谢教授任爱尔兰都柏林大学孔子学院中方院长、中国人民大学教授及博士生导师，其研究领域涉及英国戏剧研究、美国当代研究以及戏剧理论研究。本次讲座以线上线下相结合的方式进行，近百名听众出席了本次论坛。
本次讲座探讨了运用传统中国戏剧表演莎士比亚剧目所发生的变化，并从跨文化戏剧研究的视角分析了莎士比亚戏剧与传统中国戏剧之间的互动。讲座伊始，谢教授通过放映剧目演出视频引入主题，带领观众直观地感受、欣赏与体味个中特色。而后，谢江南教授深度剖析了三个代表性作品，分别为1984年的《血腥之手》，2005年的《王子的复仇》和2012年的《理查德三世》。从“适应”“文化融合”与“混合性”三个角度展开讲解以上三个例子，对每个作品中文化融合的阶段性特点进行了阐述，并总结了其中的共性与特性。
谢教授分析到，莎士比亚戏剧被用作中国人了解西方文化并欣赏中国传统戏剧之美的媒介；同时，许多西方戏剧专业人士和观众也通过莎士比亚戏剧了解并欣赏到中国传统戏剧的可视性。这些互动通过在欧洲和世界各地舞台上表演莎士比亚戏剧的中国传统戏剧得以见证。由改编转向融合，莎士比亚的诗意语言、丰富内容和哲学思维与中国传统戏剧的可视性和形象融合在一起，表明了从适应到文化交融和混合的过程。这种戏剧间的跨文化交流不是单向输出，而是双向互动的，使得中国和西方戏剧双方受益，并开创了一种将莎士比亚与中国传统戏剧融合的新型戏剧形式。
最后，谢教授与现场观众进行了互动，对戏剧应该保留传统还是开源创新等问题进行了讨论与分析。之后，都柏林大学孔子学院王黎明院长代表学院向谢江南教授颁发了荣誉证书并赠送了纪念品。本次论坛反响热烈，引发了广泛关注。