Nanjing University Hosts 15th International Ibsen Conference
The 15th International Ibsen Conference was grandly opened at the Xianlin Campus of Nanjing University from June 24 to 26, 2024. The conference was hosted by Nanjing University, co-organized by the Ibsen Research Center of the University of Oslo, and undertaken by the School of Arts, School of Foreign Languages and Institute of Global Humanities of Nanjing University. Chen Yunsong, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Nanjing University, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech.
Chen Yunsong warmly welcomed the guests from home and abroad. He introduced the long history of Nanjing University and its profound cultural heritage. The origin of modern art education in China can be traced back to the Department of Drawing and Handicrafts established by Liangjiang Normal School, the predecessor of Nanjing University, in 1906. Since then, Nanjing University has always maintained the distinctive characteristics of “rooted in China and global vision”. He said that Ibsen has a huge influence on China. Most modern Chinese dramatists have been directly or indirectly influenced by Ibsen. Ibsen’s dramas represented by “A Doll’s House” have changed Chinese drama to a certain extent. The International Ibsen Conference is based on the mutual learning of Chinese and Western civilizations, promotes academic dialogue between China and the West, and conducts academic debates. It is of great significance to the construction of a discourse system of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics. The theme of this year’s conference is “Ibsen across media”. Through interdisciplinary research methods, it explores the adaptation, elaboration and representation of Ibsen’s dramas and their themes in different media, as well as re-imagining and experiencing Ibsen’s works in the contemporary context, providing new perspectives and new paradigms for Ibsen research. Finally, Chen Yunsong once again welcomed all the guests and wished this meeting a complete success.
Solfrid Dahl Helgesen, Deputy Consul General of Norway in Shanghai, Lisbeth Wærp, President of the International Ibsen Committee, and He Chengzhou, Dean of the School of Arts of Nanjing University, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches. He Ning, Dean of the School of Foreign Languages of Nanjing University, presided over the opening ceremony.
Solfrid Dahl Helgesen thanked Nanjing University for its efforts in ensuring the smooth conduct of the conference and expressed his willingness to further deepen the international cooperation between Nanjing University and Norwegian universities and to promote cultural exchanges between China and Norway.
Lisbeth Wærp expressed her gratitude for the kind invitation from Nanjing University and praised the fruitful results achieved by Chinese scholars in the fields of Ibsen studies and global literature research.
He Chengzhou sincerely thanked the guests who attended the conference and Nanjing University and the International Ibsen Committee for their strong support for the preparation of the conference. He felt honored to have this opportunity to communicate with Ibsen researchers around the world.
This conference focused on the theme of “Ibsen across media” in order to expand new research horizons for Ibsen research. Dozens of domestic and foreign experts, scholars and artists gathered at Nanjing University. The conference received more than 200 manuscripts from all over the world, mainly focusing on the latest progress in cross-media research on literature and art, including the image of artists in Ibsen’s plays, the reference and use of various art categories in Ibsen’s plays, Ibsen’s film adaptations, musicals and dance dramas adapted from Ibsen, Ibsen’s cross-cultural drama performances and other extended topics.
The conference set up twelve sub-forums, namely: cross-media practice and the canonization of Ibsen’s drama, Ibsen’s ethical criticism, directing Ibsen’s drama, comparative drama study between Ibsen and Chekhov, cross-cultural Ibsen, rethinking Ibsen: stage, media, gender, Ibsen and critical theory, changing forms and political concepts, Ibsen and (virtual) space, Ibsen’s body presentation in different media, Ibsen’s life, Ibsen in Germany. Professor Wang Yuli from the School of Arts of Wuhan University, Professor Gao Ziwen from the School of Literature of Nanjing University, and member of the International Ibsen Committee, Associate Professor Xia Liyang from the University of Oslo, and more than 20 well-known scholars at home and abroad served as the moderators of the sub-forums.
During the conference, the new play “Peer Gynt: A Pig’s Fantasy”, produced by the Department of Drama, Film and Television Arts of the School of Literature of Nanjing University and adapted from Ibsen’s famous work, was staged at the Black Box Theater of Xianlin Campus.