Critical Arts

Critical Arts is a peer-reviewed journal publishing 6 issues a year. Three of the six numbers are reserved for general issues and single submissions. Three are allocated to thematic issues.

Critical Arts encourages conceptual freshness, textured writing, and experiential analysis, which draws readers into its articles, narrative themes, and theoretical explorations.

Chinese science fiction has been both a response to and an impetus for the cultural exchange between China and the rest of the world. Science Fiction (SF) as a literary genre is intrinsically world-oriented and closely linked to the notion of “global village” with visions of the future, which is clearly manifested in the Chinese context. If the starting stage of Chinese SF has benefited from the global exchange for the introduction of new ideas and science to modern China (mainly from the West), the contemporary development contributes to the globalizing process by making the China story an indispensable part of the world literature (Wu 2020). Although much has been explored concerning Chinese SF, relatively little attention has been paid to its role in a broader context of global intellectual and cultural exchange. Arguably, globalization has paved the way for “dialogism” as an important paradigm in cultural studies (Jin 2017), and the dialogic approach, be they East-West or South-North, is essential in the current study. This issue aims to approach Chinese SF (in various media forms including novels, web novels, films, comics, animation, games, and their derivative works) within the context of global cultural exchange, probing into mutual influences between Chinese and Western/non-Western literary and cultural traditions, the evolution of their exchange patterns, and the impact of contemporary Chinese science fiction’s international dissemination in the new media age.

As an “imported” literary genre, the emergence, development, and current circulation of Chinese SF beyond its culture of origin reflects the evolving modes and orientations of exchanges between China and the world: Firstly, its emergence in modern times benefited from the “introduction of Western learning to China” (Wu 2022), which served as a bridge between the East and West, and later this one-way “translation and borrowing” has been replaced with a two-way exchange and dialogue, giving rise to increasing prominence of Chinese SF worldwide, as the most dynamic aspect of the “going global” of Chinese culture. Secondly, by firmly embracing two essential features of the age, known as technology and participation (Wu 2021), advancements in new media technologies have facilitated the effective integration of textual, audio, and visual media, and the media convergence has, in turn, created brand-new paths for Chinese SF to garner an overseas audience who voluntarily become advocates for its dissemination, known as “fandom activities” (Wu 2023). Thirdly, Chinese SF’s active integration into the world literary system is both an important facet of East-West cultural exchanges and an imperative representation of the era of globalization, demonstrating the increasing influence of “Chinese imagination” overseas and its potential to exert influence on other cultures and contribute to global futuristic narrative (Wu 2020).

Although the exchanges/mutual influences between Chinese literary traditions and its counterparts in the English-speaking world represent perhaps the most important aspect, this issue also looks forward to expanding its scope to research beyond the English-speaking world. The research that explores the influence, exchange, and interaction of Chinese SF concerning non-English-speaking European cultural contexts such as France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, and Italy is encouraged. Moreover, we also anticipate directing our attention to research outside Western traditions, focusing on the exchange of Chinese SF with non-Western cultural traditions, particularly the regions traditionally underrepresented and overlooked such as Africa, Latin America, and some parts of Asia. We hope that within the framework of global dialogism, a burst of powerful intellectual exchanges may provide valuable insights not only for the dissemination of Chinese literature and culture worldwide, but also for promoting reflections on the values of diversified cultures across the globe.

With these in mind, by combining interdisciplinary perspectives, potential contributions will be grouped under the following broad categories:

• The interrelations between the development of Chinese SF and media revolutions
• The influence of Western SF (classics, writers) on Chinese SF creation/ writers, as well as the other way around
• The influence of non-Western SF (in Africa, Latin America, and some parts of Asia, etc.) on Chinese SF creation/ writers, as well as the other way around
• The (potential) contribution of Chinese SF to the global futuristic imagination/narrative
• Chinese SF as an impetus for global cultural exchange
• The transmedia futurities in Chinese SF and the impact
• The international dissemination of Chinese SF culture in the new media age
• Fan Culture and Chinese SF
• Chinese web SF (网络科幻) and its impact on and exchange with other cultures

To propose a paper, please send an abstract of around 300 words and a short bio note of the contributor by email to the guest editor: [email protected], and include    [email protected] in the copy.

 

Timeline

Submission of Abstract proposals: July 31^st, 2024

Notification of acceptance of abstracts: August 31st, 2024

Submission of articles for peer review: March 1^st, 2025

Anticipated publication of accepted papers: March 2026 (could be variable)

 

Important Points

1. Submissions should be original works that have not been published in any languages previously and not simultaneously submitted elsewhere, between 6000 to 7500 words in length.
2. All completed papers should be initially sent to the guest editor by email, and upon approval, submitted to the online Submission Portal for external review.
3. Please note that the acceptance of abstracts does not guarantee the acceptance of your final manuscripts. All the manuscripts will be double-blind peer-reviewed by at least two experts in the field.

Instructions for AuthorsSubmit an Article