A Cultural Examination and Construction of Ideological Security

Report from the *Journal of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences* — Recently, the seventh lecture of the “21st Century Marxism Lecture Hall” was held in Beijing. Han Zhen, Director of the Academic Committee of Beijing Normal University and Professor of the School of Philosophy, was invited to deliver a special lecture titled “A Cultural Examination and Construction of Ideological Security.”

《社科院专刊》讯 近日，“21世纪马克思主义大讲堂”第七讲在京举行，北京师范大学学术委员会主任、哲学院教授韩震应邀作题为“意识形态安全的文化审视与建构”的专题讲座。

Han Zhen first elaborated on the importance of ideological work, then proceeded from a cultural perspective to offer an in-depth explanation of the examination and construction of ideological security. On November 18, 2021, a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee stressed that political security must be placed in the primary position, and that state power security, institutional security, and ideological security must be firmly safeguarded. [1]1 The Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee (中共中央政治局) is the top decision-making body of the Chinese Communist Party when the Central Committee is not in session. He argued that these three “securities” are in fact interdependent: state power is maintained through institutions and ideology, and this determines the extreme importance of ideological work.

韩震首先阐述了意识形态工作的重要性，随后从文化的角度深入阐释了对意识形态安全的审视与建构问题。2021年11月18日，中共中央政治局会议强调，必须坚持把政治安全放在首要位置，要坚定维护国家政权安全、制度安全、意识形态安全。他认为，这三个“安全”实际上是相互依存的，政权就是靠制度和意识形态来维持的，这就决定了意识形态工作的极端重要性。

Viewed from the pattern of international public opinion, the current pattern in which “the West is strong and we are weak” has not truly changed. China’s image in the world is still largely “shaped by others” rather than “shaped by itself,” and at times it finds itself in a situation of “having reason but being unable to articulate it, and having articulated it but being unable to spread it.” Domestically, many people still harbor latent psychological tendencies such as “cultural inferiority” and “worshiping foreign things,” lacking cultural consciousness, autonomy, and self-strengthening, and there exists historical nihilism in the ideological sphere.

从国际舆论格局来看，目前国际舆论格局“西强我弱”还未真正改观，中国在世界上的形象很大程度上仍是“他塑”而非“自塑”，有时还处于“有理说不出，说了传不开”的境地。从国内来看，很多人还潜存着“文化自卑”“崇洋媚外”等心理，缺乏文化上的自觉、自主、自强，思想领域存在历史虚无主义。

Han Zhen analyzed the reasons for the weakening of cultural confidence from historical, social, cultural, and external perspectives. Historically, modern China’s relative decline created a gap with the rising Western civilization, and the influence of “Western-centrism” has been severe. Added to this, after the upheaval in Eastern Europe, socialism entered a low tide, and political ideology was also placed on the defensive. [2]2 The “upheaval in Eastern Europe” (东欧剧变) refers to the collapse of communist regimes in Eastern Europe in 1989–1991, which led to a global decline in the influence of socialist ideology. Socially, after reform and opening up, learning from Western advanced technology and management experience created a certain psychological set and inferiority complex; as China’s social structure underwent major changes, it manifested as social differentiation, pluralization of interests, and diversification of thought. Culturally, the knowledge economy’s demand for innovation strengthened critical thinking, and many social problems and moral failures caused ideological confusion among the people. Externally, Western countries’ encirclement and suppression of socialist ideology, their belittling of non-Western cultures, and China’s becoming a “Other” that frightens the West; the rich experience of Western developed countries in manipulating values, their control over the right to speak and the power to set agendas; the revival of religion and the influence of religious fundamentalism — all these factors play a role.

韩震从历史、社会、文化、外部分析了文化自信心动摇的原因。从历史来看，近代中国相对衰落，与当时崛起的西方文明形成落差，“西方中心主义”影响严重。再加上东欧剧变后，社会主义处于低潮，政治意识形态也处于被动。从社会来看，改革开放后，学习西方先进技术和管理经验造成了一定的心理定式和自卑情结；随着中国社会结构发生重要变化，呈现出社会分化、利益多元化、思想多样化的样态。从文化来看，知识经济对创新的需要强化了批判性思维，许多社会问题和道德失范造成了人们的思想混乱等。从外部来看，西方国家对社会主义意识形态的围剿，对非西方文化的贬低，中国成为让西方恐惧的“他者”；西方发达国家在价值观操纵上有丰富的经验，掌握着话语主导权和议题设置权；宗教的复兴和宗教激进主义的影响等。

Han Zhen stated that the Party Central Committee attaches great importance to ideological work, consistently upholds the guiding position of Marxism, and vigorously promotes the construction of the “three major systems” of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics, providing a fundamental guarantee for ideological work. [3]3 The “three major systems” (三大体系) refers to the disciplinary system, academic system, and discourse system of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics, a policy goal promoted by the CPC. Our Party’s understanding and grasp of the laws governing the Communist Party’s governance, the laws of socialist construction, and the laws of human social development have continuously deepened, opening up new horizons in the theory and practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Socialism with Chinese characteristics has achieved remarkable accomplishments that have attracted worldwide attention, and confidence in the path, confidence in the theory, confidence in the system, and confidence in the culture have been continuously strengthened, providing strong support for ideological work. The extensive and profound excellent traditional culture formed by the Chinese nation over thousands of years, and the revolutionary culture and advanced socialist culture forged by our Party leading the people in the course of revolution, construction, and reform, provide a deep wellspring of strength for ideological work. A series of regular understandings and successful experiences accumulated over a long period in ideological work provide an important foundation for upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground in ideological work. All of these are favorable conditions for doing ideological work well.

韩震表示，党中央对意识形态工作高度重视，始终坚持马克思主义的指导地位，大力推进中国特色哲学社会科学“三大体系”建设，为意识形态工作提供了根本保证。我们党对共产党执政规律、社会主义建设规律、人类社会发展规律的认识和把握不断深入，开辟了中国特色社会主义理论和实践发展新境界，中国特色社会主义取得举世瞩目的成就，道路自信、理论自信、制度自信、文化自信不断增强，为意识形态工作提供了有力支撑。中华民族几千年来形成的博大精深的优秀传统文化，我们党带领人民在革命、建设、改革过程中锻造的革命文化和社会主义先进文化，为意识形态工作提供了深厚力量。意识形态工作长期以来形成的一系列规律性认识和成功经验，为意识形态工作守正创新提供了重要基础。所有这些，都是做好意识形态工作的有利条件。

The event was presided over by Lin Jianhua, Deputy Director of the Institute of Marxism of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and was hosted by the Academic Division of Marxist Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and organized by the Institute of Marxism.

活动由中国社会科学院马克思主义研究院副院长林建华主持，中国社会科学院马克思主义研究学部主办、马克思主义研究院承办。

(Author: Zhang Yaning)

（作者：张亚宁）