近三十年臺灣思想文化界思索的主題，在本書可讀到錢新祖老師的先見之明 儘管錢老師已離開這個世界，但他的思想之於臺灣社會，仍未遠離 本書收錄了錢新祖教授從一九七○年代中期開始撰述的中英文論著共二十六篇，內容涵蓋思想史論與文化批評。錢氏積極參與中文學術文化界的對話，從其留下的眾多論述，可以清楚看出近三十年來臺灣思想文化問題發展的延續 性軌跡，進而感受到作為思想者的錢氏對其當下時空毫不苟且的反思。錢氏一生看重「語言」之於人類存在的重要性、渴望揉和多元文化價值而亟欲創造一種新語言，本書特別收錄的英文論文，為此留下了重要的紀錄。.

1980年代開風氣之先，將當代西方思潮批判性地引入中國思想研究領域的錢新祖教授所留下的《中國思想史講義》將再度啟迪新一代的人文社會學研究者 本書為錢新祖先生極具個人見解的中國思想史，不同於一般哲學史或思想史教科書機械式的綱舉目張，書中每講都直接進入哲學問題，展開討論分析，盡顯洞見。例如論中國思想的起源，直指人文主義的稱說所涉及的是中西對天 人關係構想的不同。作者有紮實的中西學術基礎，又能跳出各自的思考局限，從對比中彰顯中西思想傳統的特色，在書中發展為一種自覺的跨文化比較分析措辭手法，在現今全球化的語境中，特別值得參考。.

This article critiques Australia's official discourse of multiculturalism, with its rhetoric of ‘celebrating cultural diversity’ and tolerance, by looking at the way in which this discourse suppresses the ambivalent positioning of ‘Asians’ in Australian social space. The discourse of multiculturalism and the official, economically motivated desire for Australia to become ‘part of Asia’ has resulted in a relatively positive valuation of ‘Asia’ and ‘Asians’, an inversion from the racist exclusionism of the past. Against the self-congratulatory stance of this discourse, this (...) article signals the operation of ambivalence at two levels: at the structural level, insofar as it points to the inherent contradictions in the idea of the ‘multicultural nation’ and its fantasy of a harmonious ‘unity-in-diversity’, and at the subjective level, in the sense that the ethos of multiculturalism doesn't erase the ambivalent relations of acceptance/rejection between majority and minority subjects. Several instances of such ambivalence pertaining to the positioning and representation of the ‘Asian’ woman are given. (shrink)

The greater interconnectivity and interdependence unleashed by globalization are not creating a more harmonious, cosmopolitan humanity. On the contrary, the more global the world becomes, the more insistent particular differences, especially of the nationalist kind, are being articulated around the world, often leading to tension and conflict. This seeming paradox cannot be reconciled through simple mantras of ‘unity in diversity’. Rhetorical references to ‘a single humanity’ to overcome structurally entrenched divisions (as institutionalised in the world system of nation-states) are not (...) sufficient for the attainment of greater pan-human solidarity. In response to this predicament this paper argues for a cosmopolitan perspective, in which a humanistic universalism should not be seen as a static moral ideal, but as a social and political horizon that must be worked towards, but probably never achieved, through a painstaking and continuing process of cosmopolitanization against the grain of powerful modes of particularist closure. (shrink)

The greater interconnectivity and interdependence unleashed by globalization are not creating a more harmonious, cosmopolitan humanity. On the contrary, the more global the world becomes, the more insistent particular differences, especially of the nationalist kind, are being articulated around the world, often leading to tension and conflict. This seeming paradox cannot be reconciled through simple mantras of ‘unity in diversity’. Rhetorical references to ‘a single humanity’ to overcome structurally entrenched divisions (as institutionalised in the world system of nation-states) are not (...) sufficient for the attainment of greater pan-human solidarity. In response to this predicament this paper argues for a cosmopolitan perspective, in which a humanistic universalism should not be seen as a static moral ideal, but as a social and political horizon that must be worked towards, but probably never achieved, through a painstaking and continuing process of cosmopolitanization against the grain of powerful modes of particularist closure. (shrink)

The greater interconnectivity and interdependence unleashed by globalization are not creating a more harmonious, cosmopolitan humanity. On the contrary, the more global the world becomes, the more insistent particular differences, especially of the nationalist kind, are being articulated around the world, often leading to tension and conflict. This seeming paradox cannot be reconciled through simple mantras of ‘unity in diversity’. Rhetorical references to ‘a single humanity’ to overcome structurally entrenched divisions (as institutionalized in the world system of nation-states) are not (...) sufficient for the attainment of greater pan-human solidarity. In response to this predicament this paper argues for a cosmopolitan perspective, in which a humanistic universalism should not be seen as a static moral ideal, but as a social and political horizon that must be worked towards, but probably never achieved, through a painstaking and continuing process of cosmopolitanization against the grain of powerful modes of particularist closure. (shrink)

From an architectural perspective, the purpose of this paper is to explore the dynamic relations between individuals and the environments using the concept of affordance. In three different cases of architectural research, the concept of affordance is used as an analytical tool – yet demonstrating different scopes and outcomes. A post-occupancy evaluation of an office space in transformation; a lighting assessment and intervention in low vision rehabilitation situated in private home environments; and an urban event at an architecture festival involving (...) the intervention of a sound- and scentscape. The three cases show that the concept of affordance can embrace and operationalize the human perception of the environment, pointing at descriptive, prescriptive, and exploratory possibilities in relation to architectural design and research. The concept of affordance enables rich descriptions and explorations of qualities of architecture, related to multisensorial, emotional, and social interactional aspects of humans and their environments. (shrink)

By comparing the political systems in different dynasties, this book illustrates the continuous evolution of traditional Chinese political systems, and evaluates the merits and demerits of the political systems in different dynasties. It also provides detailed records of the evolved government organizations, the names and functions of various offices, the titles and responsibilities of officials. The book consists of five chapters, each of which focuses on one of the five dynasties respectively -- Han, Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing, and a (...) concluding summary. Combining historical facts and anecdotes from history to make the discussion straightforward, interesting, and easy to understand, this is an ideal book for anyone interested in the history of China, particularly its traditional political systems. (shrink)