On May 8 and May 12, 2025, the Humboldt Center for transdisciplinary Studies at Hunan Normal University hosted an academic workshop titled "Order and Progress: Narrating the World". The event featured two lectures by Professor Ottmar Ette. The workshop attracted a large audience of faculty and students, sparking in-depth discussions and exchanges.
During the May 8 lecture, Prof. Ottmar sketched with admirable succinctness a beautiful narrative of narration, tracing back to the time when written form is yet to develop. This not only reminds us of the multi-forms of narration, which leads to the realization that the concept of literature or narration is and should be viewed as a much broader term as it is, but also points to a crucial fact that narration constitutes more than the aesthetic dimension of life. It is life and human existence in itself.
On May 12, Prof. Ette shifted focus to the relationship between narrative and human development. He argued that storytelling, beginning in childhood, is a crucial way to understand and construct meaning in the world. Drawing on examples like One Thousand and One Nights, he demonstrated how narrative can break cycles of violence by introducing a "third perspective" and fostering empathy. Ette distinguished "story" from "plot," asserting that narrative art lies not just in the accumulation of events but in their temporal organization. He also explored non-human perspectives in literature, such as a "dog narrator" in his own writing, to illustrate how shifting viewpoints enriches narrative depth.
The lectures were hosted by Professor Jiang Lihua, Vice Dean of the School of Foreign Languages, and Professor Ren Haiyan, Executive Deputy Director of the Humboldt Center. The events were marked by lively interaction and a vibrant atmosphere. Professor Ette's lectures, combining deep scholarship with accessible insights, inspired participants to rethink the connections between literature and life. He encouraged students to reflect on childhood stories and adopt diverse perspectives in narrating their experiences, emphasizing storytelling as a fundamental force for understanding and changing the world.
In her closing remarks, Professor Ren Haiyan noted: "We are the witnesses to a grand or even seismic shift in human existence. For thousands of years, we Chinese prioritize the value of harmony and balance. But apparently, as Prof. Ette pointed out in last session, the development of technology breaks this balance. And the other dimensions in human existence for instance the ethical dimension are left behind. Hence the rising clamor of 'the decline of liberal arts' and the pervasive rhetoric of 'useless humanities'. Even the value of literature is being called into question. But Prof. Ette's talk from last session offers a forceful response towards this tendency."
The workshop underscored the Humboldt Center's commitment to exploring global changes, reconstructing knowledge structures, and advancing cross-cultural understanding. Future initiatives will include lectures, workshops, and international collaborations to promote Hunan Normal University's foreign language disciplines on the global stage.