On March 29, SASS and the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences jointly hosted an academic symposium titled “Twenty Years of Marxist Theory Discipline Development: Retrospect and Prospect” in Shanghai. The event brought together over 80 experts and scholars from leading Marxist colleges and major research institutions across China. Professor Gan Chunhui, Executive Vice President of SASS, presided over the opening ceremony. Professor Quan Heng, Deputy Director General of Publicity Department of Shanghai Municipal Committee of the CPC and Secretary of SASS CPC Committee, delivered a keynote speech.
The symposium reviewed the major achievements in the development of Marxist theory as an academic discipline over the past two decades, particularly since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Experts emphasized that this discipline has served as a key platform for studying and disseminating the Party’s theoretical innovations and for reinforcing the guiding role of Marxism in contemporary China. Participants unanimously agreed on the importance of conducting in-depth research into major theoretical and practical issues arising from the advancement of Chinese modernisation, accelerating the construction of an independent knowledge system in philosophy and the social sciences, and promoting the high-quality development of the discipline.
Sub-forums were held to explore a wide range of topics, including the discipline’s attributes, boundaries, missions, responsibilities, confidence and self-reliance, as well as the development of the discipline and knowledge systems under the framework of the new liberal arts. In the closing session, experts called for using Marxism that is both with Chinese characteristics and adapted to the current era to guide Chinese modernisation. They also highlighted the need to systematically construct a Chinese-centered knowledge system and to enhance the discipline’s leadership, academic integrity, comprehensiveness, practicality, independence, and local relevance in the years to come.
