On December 24, 2024, the 75th session of the Youth Academic Workshop on International Studies of Fudan University (YAWIS Fudan) convened at the Wenke Building of Fudan University. The topic of this session is on “My experience in Cameroon and the landscape of African thought.”
Dr. DENG Haochen, Assistant Professor at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan University (SIRPA Fudan), served as the keynote speaker. Professor QI Huaigao, Vice Dean of the Institute of International Studies of Fudan University (IIS Fudan), moderated the session. Associate Professor SUN Yuzhou of the Department of History of Fudan University, provided commentary. This event attracted over 20 faculty and students from Fudan University to join the meeting.
(The 75th YAWIS Fudan)
Deng started with the memoirs of diplomats from China, the West, and Africa, emphasizing the importance of carefully sorting through the work experience of diplomats. On this basis, Deng shared his experiences of working and living in Cameroon. He considered that Cameroon is both a “small country on the periphery” in terms of various important political trends since Africa's independence and a “big country” in terms of intellectual tradition. The “marginality” of Cameroon's political thinking stems from the country's unique ties with France since the late colonial period as well as from the factors of the founding father's choice of development path. The “grandeur” of Cameroon's intellectual tradition stems from the country's long-term political stability and relatively diverse intellectual atmosphere, as well as the pioneer writings that outstanding individuals have been able to disseminate. Deng concluded that Cameroon's political “smallness” and ideological “bigness” are both worthy of study by the Chinese academic community in order to better promote cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and Cameroon.
(Dr. Deng presented his experience in Cameroon and the landscape of African thought)
During the Q&A session, Associate Professor Sun Yuzhou discussed the uniqueness of French-speaking Africa, the evaluation of the “Negritude” and the multi-fold meaning of nationalism after African independence. Professor GUO Dingping, Head of the Department of Political Science at the SIRPA Fudan, Associate Research Fellow JIANG Tianjiao and Associate Research Fellow YAO Xu of the Fudan Development Institute, and Associate Professor WANG Zhongyuan of the Fudan Institute for Advanced Study in Social Sciences, among others, commented on and asked questions about the content of the speech.
(Comments by Associate Professor Sun Yuzhou)
(Comments by Professor GUO Dingping)
Deng Haochen, the speaker of the 75th YAWIS Fudan, received his PhD in Western Philosophy from Sorbonne University in Paris. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the SIRPA Fudan.
