Visiting French professor ofters

insight on modern China

A review of the first 2005-06
Distinguished Scholar in Residence

From October 22 to 26, 2005,

St. John’s College had the plea-
sure of hosting Dr. Pierre-Etienne
Will as our first Distinguished
Scholar in Residence for the
2005-2006 academic year.
Professor Will, a specialist in

the history of 18th-century
China, holds the chair in modern
China at France’s most presti-
gious institution, the Collége de
France. He is also a director of
research at the Ecole des Hautes
Etudes en Sciences Sociales
(School of Advanced Studies in

the Social Sciences) in Paris.

Professor Will is best known
for his foundational work on the
public granary system and

famines in late-imperial China.

While at St John’s, he delivered

a series of lectures discussing
his current research interests
concerning notions of “democra-
cy,” “constitutional control,”

and “human rights” within
Chinese political and philosophi-
cal traditions. Utilizing an
impressive variety of sources,
Professor Will examined the
richness of these traditions as
they relate to contemporary
China. His lecture topics ranged
from 19th-century Euro-American
discussions of Chinese democra-
cy, to the surprisingly deep
involvement of Chinese intellec-
tuals in Eleanor Roosevelt’s
Human Rights Commission,
leading to the Universal

Declaration of Human Rights
in 1948.

By: Tim Sedo, Junior Fellow

In these talks, Professor Will
addressed the “Asian values”
debate that has simmered since
the 1990s, when Asian intellectu-
als and politicians argued the
existence of a particular Asian
way of governance predicated

on historically and culturally
distinct values. In contrast to the
Judeo-Christian values that

often inform the political and
social organization of many
Western societies, these “Asian
values” are seen as largely
Confucian in nature, stressing
loyalty to the family, the value of
the collective over the individual
and above all, social and state
stability. Many leaders in
Singapore, Malaysia, and Japan

have used “Asian values” to chal-
lenge the hegemonic discourse of

Western democratic ideals.

Professor Will’s lectures
addressed this polarity between
“Western democracy” and
“Confucian authoritarianism”.

He demonstrated that indigenous
Chinese traditions frequently

held notions of “democracy” and
“human rights” in high esteem,
even if they were not articulated
as such, and that these values
were noted by many 19th-century
Europeans and Americans.

To Professor Will, these traditions
have been sadly overlooked

(or actively ignored) by the con-
temporary Chinese state,

which could benefit by acknowl-
edging the depth of Chinese
thinking on democratic princi-
ples, human rights, and

constitutional controls.

Support sought for the St. John’s
College UBC Endowment Fund

Thanks to the generosity of
alumni, the inimitable spirit and
character of St. John’s University
(Shanghai) lives on at St. John’s
College at UBC. Here, a new
generation of Johanneans has the
opportunity to live and interact in
an academic setting that fosters
fellowship, intercultural exchange

and interdisciplinary dialogue.

Alumni interested in sustaining
this enriched academic, social

and cultural experience may wish

to contribute to the
Endowment Fund in the
following three key areas:

e Distinguished Visitor
Lectureships;

e Student Support through fellow-
ships and academic student
exchanges; and

e The Artist in Residence Program.

Donations are accepted by the
University of British Columbia,
the Hong Kong Foundation for
UBC, the American Foundation

for UBC, and the UK Foundation
for UBC. By giving to the
University or one of these foun-
dations, donors will receive tax
receipts that may be used against
source income in Canada, Hong
Kong, the UK or the USA.

UBC is pleased to work with
donors to ensure appropriate
naming recognition, which pro-
vides a meaningful and enduring

tribute in a prestigious setting.

For more information about
supporting the College and
to learn about tax benefits,

please contact:

Tim Brook, Principal

St. John’s College

Tel: 604.822.8799

e-mail: tim.brook@ubc.ca or

Carla Banfield,

Faculty of Graduate Studies
Tel: 604.822.0631

e-mail: carla.banfield@ubc.ca.