Active or Passive? — On the "Initiative" of Three Types of Modernists in Shu-mei Shih's "Semi-colonial" Context
Abstract
This paper argues against the issue of the "initiative" of the three types of modernists in The Lure of the Modern. By analyzing the core cases and argumentative logic of the whole book, it demonstrates that the "initiative" of these three groups of intellectuals points more to passive acceptance and even shows a tendency of "self-colonization". Although Shu-mei Shih touches upon the issue of subjectivity construction in the stance of "anti-imperialism" and "anti-colonization", her analytical framework relies on the Western-centric reference of the "Other", which covers up the agentive practices of these intellectuals in cultural translation and local criticism. The theoretical root of this problem lies in the researcher's overemphasis on understanding China as a "region" within the "global" and the decisive influence of the "Other" when Chinese intellectuals construct their own subjectivity.
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