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professor, comparative literature, hispanic literature, cultural studies, translation studies.
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Papers by Wei Teng
UC Merced TRANSMODERNITY: Journal of Peripheral Cultural Production of the Luso-Hispanic World
Teng Wei : Professor Dai, how are you? The first question: a fe... more Teng Wei : Professor Dai, how are you? The first question: a few days ago I came across some material that talked about some Soviet Union science fiction writers who fantasized on what the Soviet society and the Soviet people's life would be like when the Russian Revolution reached the centenary year, which would be 2017. Ironically, the scientific aspects of that fantasizing have essentially been realized, what had not been foreseen was that the Soviet Union no longer exists. We know that Hobsbawm had referred to the 77 years from the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 to the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991 as " the short 20 th century " . As far as capitalism is concerned, I think the 20 th century has been a century in which it had, first, met its demise and then, its rebirth . It went through two World Wars as well as the Cold War, and ultimately it seemed to have defeated all of its enemies. Further, people all over the world are busy making judgment on the losers. For example, the 2015 Nobel Literature Prize laureate was documentary literati Alexievich. Her documentary writings have described all sorts and all kinds of big problems in the Soviet society. So, in face of the global victory of capitalism as well as the accompanying development of the digital era, including artificial intelligence technology, capitalism appears to have been given a cardio tonic. Under the circumstances now, how do you think we should face the history of the defeat of socialist society? Dai Jinhua : I believe this round of eruption of technological revolution – notably genetic engineering and digital technology - has already changed the premises and parameters of our propositions and reflections on issues. This round of technological revolution, particularly the comprehensive breakthrough and the wide application of artificial intelligence, has already smashed the many constraining premises of the modernity project. In face of this fact, you could say the 20 th century has ended, capitalism has won all-round and is proceeding nicely. Yet it could also be said that this breakthrough has at the same time begun to shatter or threaten the capitalist world. At least, it is exposing in an accelerating and unavoidable way the innate crisis and structural problem of global capitalism. With the end of the Cold War and removal of the threat of the socialist camp, capitalism has returned to its " true " form. What follows is precisely the worldwide accelerating rich-poor polarization. If it is said that " Rich and Poor " has been a fundamental fact of capitalism or of class society, then the " new " variable is that the new technological development and applications, being almost entirely dominated by big capital, have in this new round of reshuffling consolidated and concentrated the monopoly and heredity of capital and of wealth structure. More importantly, the breakthrough and wide application of AI technology are rapidly rewriting and expanding the concept and facts of " automation " . As such it is continuously creating a radically increasing number of
Books by Wei Teng How can we talk about World Literature if we do not actually examine the world as a whole? Resear... more How can we talk about World Literature if we do not actually examine the world as a whole? Research on World Literature commonly focuses on the dynamics of a western center and a southern periphery, ignoring the fact that numerous literary relationships exist beyond these established constellations of thinking and reading within the Global South.
https://www.degruyter.com/view/product/490070
UC Merced TRANSMODERNITY: Journal of Peripheral Cultural Production of the Luso-Hispanic World
Teng Wei : Professor Dai, how are you? The first question: a fe... more Teng Wei : Professor Dai, how are you? The first question: a few days ago I came across some material that talked about some Soviet Union science fiction writers who fantasized on what the Soviet society and the Soviet people's life would be like when the Russian Revolution reached the centenary year, which would be 2017. Ironically, the scientific aspects of that fantasizing have essentially been realized, what had not been foreseen was that the Soviet Union no longer exists. We know that Hobsbawm had referred to the 77 years from the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 to the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991 as " the short 20 th century " . As far as capitalism is concerned, I think the 20 th century has been a century in which it had, first, met its demise and then, its rebirth . It went through two World Wars as well as the Cold War, and ultimately it seemed to have defeated all of its enemies. Further, people all over the world are busy making judgment on the losers. For example, the 2015 Nobel Literature Prize laureate was documentary literati Alexievich. Her documentary writings have described all sorts and all kinds of big problems in the Soviet society. So, in face of the global victory of capitalism as well as the accompanying development of the digital era, including artificial intelligence technology, capitalism appears to have been given a cardio tonic. Under the circumstances now, how do you think we should face the history of the defeat of socialist society? Dai Jinhua : I believe this round of eruption of technological revolution – notably genetic engineering and digital technology - has already changed the premises and parameters of our propositions and reflections on issues. This round of technological revolution, particularly the comprehensive breakthrough and the wide application of artificial intelligence, has already smashed the many constraining premises of the modernity project. In face of this fact, you could say the 20 th century has ended, capitalism has won all-round and is proceeding nicely. Yet it could also be said that this breakthrough has at the same time begun to shatter or threaten the capitalist world. At least, it is exposing in an accelerating and unavoidable way the innate crisis and structural problem of global capitalism. With the end of the Cold War and removal of the threat of the socialist camp, capitalism has returned to its " true " form. What follows is precisely the worldwide accelerating rich-poor polarization. If it is said that " Rich and Poor " has been a fundamental fact of capitalism or of class society, then the " new " variable is that the new technological development and applications, being almost entirely dominated by big capital, have in this new round of reshuffling consolidated and concentrated the monopoly and heredity of capital and of wealth structure. More importantly, the breakthrough and wide application of AI technology are rapidly rewriting and expanding the concept and facts of " automation " . As such it is continuously creating a radically increasing number of
How can we talk about World Literature if we do not actually examine the world as a whole? Resear... more How can we talk about World Literature if we do not actually examine the world as a whole? Research on World Literature commonly focuses on the dynamics of a western center and a southern periphery, ignoring the fact that numerous literary relationships exist beyond these established constellations of thinking and reading within the Global South.
https://www.degruyter.com/view/product/490070
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Papers by Wei Teng
Books by Wei Teng
Re-Mapping World Literature suggests a different approach that aims to investigate new navigational tools that extend beyond the known poles and meridians of current literary maps. Using the example of Latin American literatures, this study provides innovative insights into the literary modeling of shared historical experiences, epistemological crosscurrents, and book market processes within the Global South which thus far have received scant attention. The contributions to this volume, from renowned scholars in the fields of World and Latin American literatures, assess travelling aesthetics and genres, processes of translation and circulation of literary works, as well as the complex epistemological entanglements and shared worldviews between Latin America, Africa and Asia.
A timely book that embraces highly innovative perspectives, it will be a must-read for all scholars involved in the field of the global dimensions of literature.
Open Access: https://www.degruyter.com/view/product/490070
Re-Mapping World Literature suggests a different approach that aims to investigate new navigational tools that extend beyond the known poles and meridians of current literary maps. Using the example of Latin American literatures, this study provides innovative insights into the literary modeling of shared historical experiences, epistemological crosscurrents, and book market processes within the Global South which thus far have received scant attention. The contributions to this volume, from renowned scholars in the fields of World and Latin American literatures, assess travelling aesthetics and genres, processes of translation and circulation of literary works, as well as the complex epistemological entanglements and shared worldviews between Latin America, Africa and Asia.
A timely book that embraces highly innovative perspectives, it will be a must-read for all scholars involved in the field of the global dimensions of literature.
Open Access: https://www.degruyter.com/view/product/490070