Classic Reading- No.001 Class Study Meeting Successfully Held in 2020 Doctoral Class of SSDPP

In order to actively build a good platform for class study and improve doctoral students' critical thinking ability in reading academic classics, at 15:00 on March 31, 2021, the 2020 Doctoral Class of SSDPP held its No.001 Class Study Meeting themed on "monthly classic reading" successfully in Rm.2033, Rear Main Building, Beijing Normal University. At this event, "The Self As Method: In Conversation With Biao Xiang" written by Xiang Biao and Wu Qi was studied and discussed. It was read by Yang Ling. Huang Huiting, Xuxiao Jingyuan, Dou Yuan and other students actively asked questions and fully exchanged their ideas. The meeting continued the dialogue and the form of thinking in the book, and explored the relationship between academic research and self experience starting from the questions raised in the book.

First of all, Yang Ling briefly explained why the book was chosen for class reading, and comprehensively introduced the structure and content of the book. Then, starting from Xiang Biao's experience and insight, she sincerely asked questions and had in-depth exchanges on the content of three parts: "the significance of the study", "the relationship between theory and research" and "the relationship between researcher and his research".

Part 1: What is the significance of the study? In this part, by looking back on Xiang Biao's academic career and looking back on themselves, the students exchanges ideas on many issues, such as: "What is the significance of social science? What is the significance of social science to researchers? What is the purpose of writing? Feeling or groaning? And what is the current research status of young scholars?" Not limited to what they've learned from the book, starting from their own experience, the students believe that research should be a common choice of interests and realistic situations. More importantly, we should try to understand the laws of human society from the perspective of the relationship between individuals and society.

Part 2: What is the relationship between theory and research? This part continued the discussion on theory and research in the book. The students talked about "how young scholars can accurately understand theory and develop it in study, and how we should conduct theoretical training as doctoral students in social sciences", etc. The students tried to understand the connotation and classification of theory as well as the relationship between theory and research with "the theory of scenario". Combined with their current learning situation, the students exchanged their methods of theoretical learning.

Part 3: The practice of taking oneself as a method. Mr. Xiang Biao mentioned "people's reproduction" for oneself in the part of interview in Wenzhou. Thus, the students actively discussed the practice of "taking oneself as a method". They believe that researchers should learn the "gentry spirit", always maintain self-determined and self-conscious in the process of research, question their own experience, pay attention to their own region, cultivate their own sense of responsibility, and have a considerable understanding of the general system.

The reading activity drew to a close in our heated discussion. While praising Xiang Biao's profound thinking, the students also actively reflected on themselves in the light of their own life and academic world. As stated in the preface of the book, "taking oneself as a method" is to "reveal the historical context and social relations originally attached to it" through the analysis of "self", and strive to find this self consistent sense of distance and accurate understanding of the problem, which is also the direction we need to work for as doctoral students.

Photos and text: Dou yuan

Reviewer:  Yang Ling

Checked by: Zhang Ranran