Grasping the Regularities and Prospects for the Times in the 40-Year Development of the Ideological and Political Education Discipline

Since the founding of the Communist Party of China, ideological and political work has become an important magic weapon for the Party to unite and lead the broad masses of the people from victory to victory. The scientification and disciplinization of ideological and political education were promoted and developed amid the wave of reform and opening up. As an applied discipline, since its formal establishment as a specialty in 1984, the discipline of ideological and political education has not only experienced complex developmental circumstances together with various social fields, but its own development has also been deeply influenced by the changes of the times. To grasp the regularities and prospects for the times of the development of the ideological and political education discipline, it is necessary to base it on the great practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics, sort out and review the development process of the ideological and political education discipline from multiple perspectives, actively explore the contemporary characteristics of the discipline’s development, and thereby point the direction for the future development of the ideological and political education discipline.

中国共产党成立以来，思想政治工作就成为党团结带领广大人民群众不断从胜利走向胜利的重要法宝，思想政治教育的科学化、学科化则是在改革开放的浪潮中得到推动和发展的。思想政治教育学科作为一门应用型学科，自1984年正式设置专业以来不仅与社会各领域共同经历着复杂发展境遇，而且其自身发展也深受时代变迁的影响。对思想政治教育学科发展进行规律性把握与时代展望必须基于中国特色社会主义伟大实践，多角度梳理与回顾思想政治教育学科发展历程，积极探寻思想政治教育学科发展的时代特质，进而为思想政治教育学科未来发展指明方向。

I. Grasping the Regularities of the Development of the Ideological and Political Education Discipline

一、思想政治教育学科发展的规律性把握

The development of any thing has its inherent laws, and the development of the ideological and political education discipline is no exception. In a certain sense, reviewing the development process of the ideological and political education discipline is a process of grasping the regularities of its development. Only by forming certain regular understandings from this process and continuously deepening these regular understandings can we provide sustained and profound strength for the development of the ideological and political education discipline.

任何事物的发展都有其内在规律，思想政治教育学科发展也不例外。从一定意义上讲，回顾思想政治教育学科的发展历程就是对思想政治教育学科发展进行规律性把握的过程，只有从中形成一定的规律性认识，并不断深化这些规律性认识，才能为思想政治教育学科发展提供持续且深厚的力量。

First, the development of the ideological and political education discipline adheres to the leadership of the Party and serves the great cause of educating people. Adhering to the leadership of the Party is the fundamental guarantee for the scientification and disciplinization of ideological and political education. The development of the ideological and political education discipline takes adherence to the leadership of the Party as an inherent requirement. On the one hand, the leadership of the Party ensures the correct direction for the development of the ideological and political education discipline. The ideological and political education discipline is a unique and original achievement of the Communist Party of China. Whether it is the establishment or adjustment of the discipline is closely related to the corresponding strategic choices made by the Party according to the needs of the development of the times, and it has a distinct policy orientation. On the other hand, the leadership of the Party runs through the entire process of the establishment and development of the ideological and political education discipline and is the distinctive background that ensures the continuous growth and expansion of the discipline. Together with philosophy, political science, pedagogy, sociology, psychology, and management, ideological and political education constitutes China’s system of philosophy and social sciences. It is not only an applied discipline that is “learned” and “emphasizes practice,” but also a discipline with Chinese characteristics, Chinese style, and Chinese manner that is “firm in stance” and “clear in banner,” that is, a discipline that combines scientificity and political nature. Ideological and political education should achieve its own development and growth under the leadership of the Party, and in turn provide an ideological foundation for consolidating the Party’s ruling position, leveraging the Party’s organizational advantages, and adhering to the Party’s overall leadership.

第一，思想政治教育学科发展坚持党的领导服务育人大业。坚持党的领导是思想政治教育科学化、学科化的根本保证，思想政治教育学科发展以坚持党的领导为内在要求。一方面，党的领导为思想政治教育学科发展保证了正确方向。思想政治教育学科是中国共产党的独创性、原创性成果，无论是学科的设立还是调整均与党根据时代发展需要所作出的相应战略选择密切相关，具有鲜明的政策导向。另一方面，党的领导贯穿思想政治教育学科设立和发展全过程，是保证学科不断发展壮大的鲜明底色。思想政治教育与哲学、政治学、教育学、社会学、心理学、管理学等共同构成我国哲学社会科学体系，其不仅是一门“有学问”“重实践”的应用型学科，还是一门具有中国特色、中国风格、中国气派且“立场坚定”“旗帜鲜明”的学科，即兼具科学性与政治性的学科。思想政治教育应在党的领导下实现自身发展壮大，进而又为巩固党的执政地位、发挥党的组织优势以及坚持党的全面领导提供思想基础。

Serving the great cause of educating people is the starting point and ultimate goal of the development of the ideological and political education discipline, and it is also the key to demonstrating the value of the discipline. Over the past 40 years, the ideological and political education discipline has continuously carried out systematic construction around the key word “educating people” in its development process. First, the foundation of educating people lies in fostering virtue. Great importance has been attached to the construction of the ideological and political education specialty, continuously supplying batches of specialized talents in ideological and political education with firm ideals and convictions, noble moral conduct, outstanding professional qualities, and solid theoretical foundations to various fields and fronts, making important contributions to improving citizens’ ideological and moral qualities and creating a good social development environment. Second, the innovation and development of the discipline promote the innovation and development of educational theory and practice. In terms of theoretical research, it is guided by the Party’s innovative theories, continuously consolidates the theoretical foundation and promotes innovation in basic theories, and actively expands the scope of disciplinary research. In terms of curriculum construction, it adheres to a student-centered development approach, actively promotes the transformation of curriculum construction from an extensive to an intensive development concept and model, and continuously explores feasible paths for improving curriculum quality and efficiency. Third, it continuously promotes the construction of disciplinary systems. Under the guidance of relevant policy documents, it continuously enhances institutional awareness, promotes the leapfrog development of disciplinary mechanisms and systems from nothing to something and from fragmented to integrated, thereby providing an important guarantee for serving the great cause of educating people.

服务育人大业是思想政治教育学科发展的出发点和落脚点，也是彰显学科价值的关键所在。40年来，思想政治教育学科在发展过程中围绕“育人”这一关键词不断进行系统建设。一是育人的根本在于立德，高度重视思想政治教育专业建设，为各领域各战线持续输送一批又一批理想信念坚定、道德品行高尚、专业素养突出、理论功底扎实的思想政治教育专门人才，为提升公民思想道德素质以及营造良好的社会发展环境作出重要贡献。二是以学科创新发展推进育人理论和育人实践创新发展。在理论研究方面以党的创新理论为引领，不断夯实理论基础并促进基础理论创新，积极扩大学科研究范围；在课程建设方面则坚持以学生发展为中心，积极推动课程建设从外延式向内涵式发展的理念、模式转换，不断探索课程提质增效的可行路径。三是持续推进学科制度建设，在相关政策文件的指导下不断增强制度意识，推动学科体制机制实现从无到有、由零到整的跨越式发展，从而为服务育人大业提供重要保证。

Second, the development of the ideological and political education discipline is aligned with the process of social development. The development of the ideological and political education discipline fully reflects the contemporary characteristics of ideological and political education and has played an important role in meeting the needs of China’s social development. [1]1 Reform and opening up: a series of economic and social reforms initiated by Deng Xiaoping in 1978, marking China’s transition from a planned to a market-oriented economy and its opening to the global economy. Reform and opening up brought tremendous changes and profound transformations to Chinese society. The continuous collision between old models and new situations objectively created basic conditions for the establishment of the ideological and political education discipline and also provided broad space for its development.

第二，思想政治教育学科发展与社会发展进程相契合。思想政治教育学科的发展充分体现了思想政治教育的时代特征，并且在满足我国社会发展需要的过程中发挥了重要作用。[1]改革开放给我国社会带来了巨大变化和深刻变革，旧模式与新情况的不断碰撞从客观上为思想政治教育学科的设立创造了基本条件，同时也给思想政治教育学科的发展提供了广阔空间。

The establishment of the ideological and political education discipline was by no means groundless but was an active move and inevitable choice made in response to social development and change. The reform of state-owned enterprises in the early period of reform and opening up, as a representative measure of China’s economic reform, significantly enhanced the production enthusiasm of the working class during the implementation of policies such as expanding the autonomy of state-owned enterprises, proposing the contract responsibility system for state-owned enterprises, experimenting with replacing profit delivery with taxes, and implementing the labor contract system. This markedly improved production efficiency and achieved the recovery and development of the national economy. However, in the process of transforming social and economic components from unitary to diversified, it caused a certain degree of differentiation among social groups and subsequent changes in lifestyles, which brought certain challenges to ideological and political work at that time. This is because before reform and opening up, ideological and political work was mostly based on basic units such as “work units” and “systems,” with a mature and efficient working model that had achieved significant results and been tested in long-term practice. However, with the changes in China’s traditional work-unit system, areas that ideological and political work could not reach emerged, making it urgently necessary to adjust to adapt to the new situations arising in the process of social development at that time.

思想政治教育学科的设立绝非凭空而来，而是根据社会发展变化所作出的主动之举和必然选择。改革开放初期的国有企业改革作为我国经济领域改革的代表性举措，在扩大国企自主权、提出国企承包制、试行利改税、实行劳动合同制等政策的执行过程中大幅提升了工人群体的生产积极性，明显提升了生产效率，实现了国民经济的恢复与发展，但是却在社会经济成分由单一化向多样化转变的过程中，造成了社会群体在一定程度上的分化以及随之而来的生活模式上的改变，这给当时的思想政治工作带来了一定挑战。这是因为改革开放以前的思想政治工作多以“单位”“系统”为基本单位，有着一套在长期实践中取得显著成效并得到检验的成熟且高效的工作模式，不过随着我国传统的单位制的变迁，思想政治工作出现了难以触及的区域，因此迫切需要进行调整以适应当时社会发展过程中出现的新情况。

In the social environment of that time, the calls for the scientification and disciplinization of ideological and political education grew louder, causing significant impact and widespread discussion in various sectors of society through speeches, meetings, newspaper articles, and policy documents. On July 1, 1983, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China approved and transmitted the “Outline for the Ideological and Political Work of Employees in State-Owned Enterprises (Trial),” which explicitly proposed establishing a specialty in political work in higher education institutions and cultivating specialized talents in ideological and political work. In the same year, the Ministry of Education organized a disciplinary specialty demonstration meeting, reaching a consensus on the disciplinary name “Ideological and Political Education Studies” and the specialty name “Ideological and Political Education Specialty,” paving the way for the formal establishment of the ideological and political education discipline the following year, 1984. From its establishment to its development, the ideological and political education discipline has always been highly aligned with the process of social development. According to the needs of social development in different historical stages, it has clarified its own positioning, actively sought change and innovation to achieve long-term rapid development.

在当时的社会环境下，思想政治教育科学化、学科化的呼声越来越高，以讲话、会议、报刊文章、政策文件等形式在社会各界引起较大影响和广泛讨论。1983年7月1日，中共中央批转的《国营企业职工思想政治工作纲要（试行）》中明确提出了在高校开设政治工作的专业以及培养思想政治工作专门人才的要求。同年，教育部组织召开学科专业论证会，就“思想政治教育学”的学科名称和“思想政治教育专业”的专业名称达成一致意见，为次年即1984年思想政治教育学科的正式设立进行铺垫。思想政治教育学科从设立到发展始终与社会发展进程高度契合，根据不同历史阶段的社会发展需要，明确自身定位、主动求变求新以实现长期快速发展。

Third, the development of the ideological and political education discipline is adapted to the needs of individual development. China’s reform and opening up began against the international background of economic globalization. As a profound social change, under the guidance of the ideas of “emancipating the mind and seeking truth from facts” and “reforming internally and opening up externally,” reform and opening up took economic reform as a breakthrough, profoundly changing the mode of social operation and people’s lifestyles, and also reshaping social values and individual development needs. This led to a widening gap between the ought-to-be requirements and the actual state in the field of values for individuals and collectives, affecting the effective conduct of ideological and political work and education. “Human needs exist objectively and are the simplest and most abstract stipulation of ideological and political education.” [2]2 The citation refers to a foundational theoretical text in Chinese ideological and political education scholarship, emphasizing the objective basis of human needs as a starting point for the discipline.(P121) It can be said that behind many social hot phenomena that began to emerge in the early 1980s reflected the value confusion of people at that time between traditional concepts and modern ideas, collective interests and individual interests, as well as the urgency of clarifying and realizing individual development needs amid cultural exchange and integration worldwide. These together constituted the practical necessity for establishing the ideological and political education discipline.

第三，思想政治教育学科发展与个体发展需要相适应。我国的改革开放始于经济全球化的国际背景之下，改革开放作为一次深刻的社会变革，在“解放思想，实事求是”“对内改革，对外开放”的思想指导下，以经济改革作为突破口深刻改变着社会的运行方式和人们的生活方式，也重塑着社会价值观念和个体发展需求，从而导致个体、集体在价值观念领域的应然要求与实然状态之间差距拉大，给思想政治工作、思想政治教育的有效开展造成影响。“人的需要是客观存在的，是思想政治教育最简单而抽象的规定”。[2](P121)可以说，20世纪80年代初开始出现的许多社会热点现象的背后反映出当时人们置身于传统观念和现代思想、集体利益和个体利益之间的价值迷茫，以及在世界范围内的文化交流融合中明确、实现个体发展需要的迫切性，这些共同构成设立思想政治教育学科的现实必要性。

The establishment of the ideological and political education discipline is a logical necessity for advancing ideological and political work and the scientification of ideological and political education. This is manifested not only in the process of social development, possessing historical inevitability, but also in the needs of individual development, possessing inherent stipulations. In other words, the establishment and development of the ideological and political education discipline possess historicity, which is inseparable from the overall trajectory of social development and the needs of individual development. From the perspective of individual development needs, ideological and political education, as an applied discipline, is established with the aim of enhancing the scientific nature of ideological and political work and ideological and political education, elevating practice into regular understanding, theoretically sublimating regular understanding, and finally, through theory guiding practice, responding to and resolving various perplexities people encounter in theoretical innovation, social systems, ideological discourse, and daily life. It guides people to form a correct understanding of the true meaning of the good life they seek, and to find the correct way to satisfy individual development needs that match the needs of social development, thereby gradually eliminating the contradiction between the ideological and political qualities required by social development and the actual state of people’s ideological and political qualities.

设立思想政治教育学科是推进思想政治工作、思想政治教育科学化的逻辑必然，这不仅体现在社会发展进程中，具有历史必然性，而且也体现在个体发展需要中，具有内在规定性。换言之，思想政治教育学科的设立与发展具有历史性，这种历史性是与社会整体发展轨迹和个体发展需要密不可分的。从个体发展需要的角度上看，思想政治教育作为一门应用型学科，设立的目的在于增强思想政治工作、思想政治教育的科学性，将实践上升为规律性认识，把规律性认识进行理论升华，最后又通过理论指导实践从而回应和解答人们在理论创新、社会制度、意识形态话语、日常生活等方面产生的种种困惑，引导人们对所需要的美好生活的真谛形成正确认识，并找到满足与社会发展需要相匹配的个体发展需要的正确方式，从而逐渐消弭社会发展要求的思想政治素质和人们的思想政治素质实际状况之间的矛盾。

Fourth, the development of the ideological and political education discipline is rooted in the local context while possessing a global perspective. From a lexical perspective, “ideological and political education,” “ideological and political work,” and “ideological and moral quality” are all original concepts of the Chinese Communist Party’s ideological and political education, belonging to the discourse category of this discipline with Chinese local characteristics. However, from the broad sense of moral education, most countries and regions in the world also have their own “ideological and political education” with national characteristics, based on their respective social history and culture, social forms, and value systems. Ancient China also had “ideological and political education” that dominated the production of social spiritual life and safeguarded the interests of the ruling class. These are functionally similar to the Chinese Communist Party’s ideological and political education and can provide certain references for the development of China’s ideological and political education discipline.

第四，思想政治教育学科发展根植本土兼具全球视野。从语词的角度上看，思想政治教育、思想政治工作、思想道德素质等都是中国共产党思想政治教育的原创性概念，均属于思想政治教育这一中国本土特色学科的话语范畴。不过，从德育的广泛性意义上看，世界绝大多数国家和地区也都有着基于各自社会历史文化、社会形态、价值体系而开展的具有本国特色的“思想政治教育”，中国古代也存在支配社会精神生活生产、维护统治阶级利益的“思想政治教育”，这都与中国共产党思想政治教育在功能上相似，能够给我国思想政治教育学科发展提供一定参考。

On the one hand, China’s ideological and political education discipline is rooted in the local context, manifested from the very beginning of its establishment by placing great emphasis on excavating the ideological and political education elements contained in China’s excellent traditional culture, such as “the personality of the junzi (exemplary person),” [3]3 “Junzi” (君子) is a Confucian ideal of a morally exemplary person, often translated as “gentleman” or “superior person.” “educating the people through the Way,” [4]4 “Educating the people through the Way” (以教道民) refers to the Confucian concept of using moral teachings (the Way, or Dao) to guide and transform the populace. “the unity of heaven and humanity,” [5]5 “The unity of heaven and humanity” (天人合一) is a core Chinese philosophical concept emphasizing the harmonious relationship between the natural world (heaven) and human society. and “investigating things to extend knowledge.” [6]6 “Investigating things to extend knowledge” (格物致知) is a key concept from the Confucian classic *The Great Learning*, referring to the process of studying phenomena to achieve moral understanding. In promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of China’s excellent traditional culture, it fully draws on the practical wisdom of ancient Chinese ideological and political education, deeply grasps the spiritual traditions, cultural genes, and psychological characteristics imprinted in the bones of the Chinese nation, and continuously enriches the historical foundation of China’s ideological and political education discipline. It is also manifested in its continuous response to the questions of China, the world, the people, and the era, resonating with the great practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and providing spiritual strength for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The development of the ideological and political education discipline naturally forms unique Chinese characteristics, Chinese style, and Chinese manner.

一方面，我国思想政治教育学科发展根植本土，表现为学科设立伊始就十分注重挖掘中华优秀传统文化蕴含的思想政治教育元素，如“君子人格”“以教道民”“天人合一”“格物致知”等，在推进中华优秀传统文化创造性转化、创新性发展中，充分汲取中国古代思想政治教育实践智慧，深度把脉烙印在中华民族骨子里的精神传统、文化基因和心理特征，不断厚植我国思想政治教育学科发展的历史底蕴；还表现为不断回应中国之问、世界之问、人民之问、时代之问，与中国特色社会主义伟大实践同频共振，为实现中华民族伟大复兴提供精神力量。思想政治教育学科发展自成独一无二的中国特色、中国风格、中国气派。

On the other hand, China’s ideological and political education discipline possesses a global perspective, advancing in the same direction as the scientification and disciplinization of ideological and political education in countries around the world. Since the 20th century, scientification and disciplinization have become important development trends in ideological and political education in most Western countries. At the curriculum level, “most countries have successively abolished religious courses in public schools, placing moral education within various subjects, or offering corresponding courses, such as civic moral education in France, moral education classes in the UK, social studies and civics in the United States, etc. Some countries have not abolished religious courses but have made significant changes in content while simultaneously offering courses on moral education, such as Germany.” [3]3 “Junzi” (君子) is a Confucian ideal of a morally exemplary person, often translated as “gentleman” or “superior person.”(P21) At the theoretical level, it is mainly characterized by integrated research across disciplines such as philosophy, sociology, political science, pedagogy, psychology, and anthropology. Through interdisciplinary research, it promotes the construction of knowledge systems and the formulation of educational plans to better address the complex challenges brought by social modernization. Viewed as a whole, China’s ideological and political education discipline, at its inception, referred to the experience and models of mature disciplinary systems developed abroad. Its subsequent localized development has, to a certain extent, continuously drawn on theoretical resources from Western ideological and political education. In conducting international exchanges and dialogues, it promotes the innovative development of the ideological and political education discipline and continuously enhances cultural confidence and disciplinary confidence.

另一方面，我国思想政治教育学科发展兼具全球视野，与世界各国思想政治教育的科学化、学科化发展同向共进。20世纪以来，科学化与学科化成为大多数西方国家思想政治教育的重要发展趋势。在课程层面，“大多数国家陆续取消公立学校中的宗教课程，把德育放在各学科中，或开设相应的科目，如法国的公民道德教育、英国的道德课、美国的社会科和公民学等，有些国家没有取消宗教课，但也在内容上有了重大变化，并同时开设有关道德教育的课程，如德国等”。[3](P21)在理论层面则以哲学、社会学、政治学、教育学、心理学、人类学等学科的融合式研究为主要特征，通过交叉学科研究推进知识体系建构和教育计划的制定，以更好地应对社会现代化发展所带来的复杂挑战。整体视之，我国思想政治教育学科在设立之初参考了国外发展成熟学科建制经验与模式，后续本土化发展在一定程度上持续借鉴西方国家思想政治教育理论资源，在开展国际交流对话中推进思想政治教育学科创新发展，并不断增强文化自信和学科自信。

II. The Era-Specific Characteristics of the Development of the Ideological and Political Education Discipline

二、思想政治教育学科发展的时代特质

The era-specific characteristics of the development of the ideological and political education discipline, as a reflection of the basic laws of the discipline’s development in specific periods and stages, embody the era-specific tasks and development requirements assigned to the discipline by different historical periods and stages of social development. Grasping the basic characteristics of the discipline’s development since the New Era is of great significance for clarifying the basic orientation and forward direction of the discipline’s future development and further promoting its sustained development.

思想政治教育学科发展的时代特质作为思想政治教育学科发展基本规律在特定时期、阶段的映射，体现了不同历史时期和社会发展阶段对思想政治教育学科所赋予的时代任务和发展要求。把握新时代以来思想政治教育学科发展的基本特质，对于明晰思想政治教育学科未来发展的基本方位和前进方向、进一步推动思想政治教育学科持续发展具有重要意义。

First, the development of the ideological and political education discipline advances in resonance with the Party’s theoretical innovation. The Chinese Communist Party continuously promotes theoretical innovation in ideological and political education in the process of innovating its theories. At the same time, the innovative theories of ideological and political education also make important contributions to the Party’s continued theoretical innovation based on practice. Since the New Era, the development of the ideological and political education discipline has adhered to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, achieving significant progress in constructing the discipline’s autonomous knowledge system, building ideological and political theory courses, theoretical research, and cultivating specialized talents in the discipline.

第一，思想政治教育学科发展与党的理论创新同频共进。中国共产党在创新理论过程中不断推进思想政治教育理论创新，同时思想政治教育创新理论也为党继续推进实践基础上的理论创新作出重要贡献。新时代以来，思想政治教育学科发展坚持以习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为指导，在学科自主知识体系建构、思想政治理论课建设、理论研究以及学科专门人才培养等方面取得长足进步。

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to ideological and political education work. It has successively convened the National Conference on Ideological and Political Work in Colleges and Universities and the Symposium for Teachers of Ideological and Political Theory Courses in Schools. [7]7 The National Conference on Ideological and Political Work in Colleges and Universities was held in December 2016, and the Symposium for Teachers of Ideological and Political Theory Courses in Schools was held in March 2019. Both were presided over by Xi Jinping. These meetings systematically discussed the necessity and importance of ideological and political work in colleges and universities, emphatically elaborated on the goals, tasks, and practical pathways of ideological and political work in colleges and universities in the New Era, clearly proposed the fundamental tasks, era-specific values, and basic requirements of ideological and political theory courses, and highly summarized the fundamental guidelines and basic principles for upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground in ideological and political theory courses. This has consolidated the theoretical foundation and indicated the basic direction for the development of the ideological and political education discipline.

党的十八大以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央高度重视思想政治教育工作，先后组织召开全国高校思想政治工作会议和学校思想政治理论课教师座谈会，系统论述了高校思想政治工作的必要性、重要性，着重阐述了新时代高校思想政治工作的目标任务和实践进路，明确提出了思想政治理论课的根本任务、时代价值和基本要求，高度概括了思想政治理论课守正创新的根本遵循与基本原则，为思想政治教育学科发展夯实了理论根基，指明了基本方向。

In addition, Xi Jinping’s important speeches at other meetings or occasions also play an important guiding role in the development of the ideological and political education discipline. The major propositions put forward by Xi Jinping at the Symposium on Work in Philosophy and Social Sciences, such as “accelerating the construction of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics” and “strengthening and improving the Party’s leadership over work in philosophy and social sciences”; the important directive in the report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC on “strengthening and improving ideological and political work”; the relevant requirements put forward at the National Education Conference based on the fundamental tasks of China’s educational work and the promotion of educational modernization; the important concepts in the report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC, such as “Chinese-path modernization” and “the integration of ideological and political education across primary, secondary, and higher education”; the emphasis at the Symposium on Cultural Heritage and Development on “building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation” and “cultural subjectivity”; the call in the letter to representatives of outstanding teachers nationwide to “vigorously promote the spirit of educators”; and the references in the important directive on propaganda, ideology, and cultural work to “cultivating core socialist values,” “building socialist ideology,” and “consolidating and strengthening the ideological foundation” — all of these are of great significance to the development of the ideological and political education discipline and have deeply promoted the theoretical innovation and practical exploration of ideological and political education.

此外，习近平在其他会议或场合的重要讲话同样对思想政治教育学科发展具有重要的指导作用。习近平在哲学社会科学工作座谈会上提出的“加快构建中国特色哲学社会科学”“加强和改善党对哲学社会科学工作的领导”的重大命题；在党的十九大报告中提出的“加强和改进思想政治工作”的重要指示；在全国教育大会上根据我国教育工作根本任务以及推进教育现代化提出的相关要求；在党的二十大报告中提出的“中国式现代化”“大中小学思想政治教育一体化”的重要概念；在文化传承发展座谈会上强调的“建设中华民族现代文明”“文化主体性”；在致全国优秀教师代表的信中提出的“大力弘扬教育家精神”；在对宣传思想文化工作作出的重要指示中提到的“社会主义核心价值观培育”“社会主义意识形态建设”“思想基础的凝聚与巩固”等，这均对思想政治教育学科发展具有重要意义，深入推动了思想政治教育的理论创新和实践探索。

Second, the policy support for the development of the ideological and political education discipline has become more multidimensional. The establishment and development of the ideological and political education discipline are closely related to policy support, exhibiting a clear policy orientation in the development process. On the one hand, the design and formulation of relevant policies consistently adhere to a problem-oriented approach, taking the actual situation of the current development of the ideological and political education discipline and the practical needs of social development as basic considerations, and always maintaining the coherence, gradualism, stability, and innovativeness among relevant policies. On the other hand, they also highly follow the laws of ideological and political work, the laws of teaching and educating, and the laws of student growth, complementing and mutually promoting each other with the theoretical research of ideological and political education.

第二，思想政治教育学科发展的政策支撑更为立体。思想政治教育学科的设立与发展跟政策支撑密切相关，在发展过程中体现出鲜明的政策导向。相关政策的设计和制定一方面始终坚持问题导向，以当前思想政治教育学科发展的实际情况和社会发展的现实需要为基本考量，始终保持相关政策之间的衔接性、渐进性、稳定性和创新性；另一方面也高度遵循思想政治工作规律、教书育人规律、学生成长规律，与思想政治教育学理研究相辅相成、相互促进。

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee and the State Council issued in 2017 and 2021 respectively the *Opinions on Strengthening and Improving Ideological and Political Work in Universities under the New Situation* and the *Opinions on Strengthening and Improving Ideological and Political Work in the New Era*. Proceeding from the overall strategic situation of the development of the Party and the state, these documents made systematic deployments and overall plans for strengthening and improving ideological and political work in universities under the new situation and for ideological and political work in the New Era respectively. In addition, a series of related policy documents, such as the *Standards for the Construction of Ideological and Political Theory Courses in Institutions of Higher Education (Interim)* issued by the Ministry of Education in 2015, the *Standards for the Construction of Marxist Colleges in Institutions of Higher Education (2017 Edition)* issued by the Ministry of Education in 2017, the *Standards for the Construction of Marxist Colleges in Ordinary Institutions of Higher Education (2019 Edition)* issued by the Ministry of Education in 2019, the *Several Opinions on Deepening the Reform and Innovation of School Ideological and Political Theory Courses in the New Era* issued by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council in 2019, the *Standards for the Construction of Ideological and Political Theory Courses in Institutions of Higher Education (2021 Edition)* issued by the Ministry of Education in 2021, and the *Work Plan for Comprehensively Promoting the Construction of "Great Ideological and Political Courses"* issued by the Ministry of Education and ten other departments in 2022, provide solid support for the development of the ideological and political education discipline from the aspects of discipline construction, curriculum construction, institutional construction, ideological guidance, and talent cultivation. It can be seen that since the New Era, policies related to ideological and political education have been scientifically formulated in response to the current state of development of the ideological and political education discipline. They pay close attention to the important achievements of disciplinary theoretical research and practical exploration, accurately assess the problems existing in various elements and links of disciplinary development, and provide effective and powerful methods for solving them, presenting a trend of systematic, multi-dimensional, and all-round development.

党的十八大以来，中共中央、国务院先后于2017年和2021年印发《关于加强和改进新形势下高校思想政治工作的意见》《关于新时代加强和改进思想政治工作的意见》，从党和国家事业发展的战略全局出发，分别对加强和改进新形势下高校思想政治工作以及新时代思想政治工作作出系统部署与整体规划。此外，相关的一系列政策文件，如2015年教育部印发的《高等学校思想政治理论课建设标准（暂行）》，2017年教育部印发的《高等学校马克思主义学院建设标准（2017年本）》，2019年教育部印发的《普通高等学校马克思主义学院建设标准（2019年本）》，2019年中共中央办公厅、国务院办公厅印发的《关于深化新时代学校思想政治理论课改革创新的若干意见》，2021年教育部印发的《高等学校思想政治理论课建设标准（2021年本）》，2022年教育部等十部门印发的《全面推进“大思政课”建设的工作方案》等，从学科建设、课程建设、制度建设、思想引领、人才培养等方面出发，为思想政治教育学科发展提供坚实支撑。由此可见，新时代以来思想政治教育相关政策都是针对思想政治教育学科发展现状而得以科学制定，高度关注学科理论研究和实践探索的重要成果，准确研判学科发展中各要素各环节存在的问题，并给出行之有效、行之有力的解决思路方法，呈现出体系化、立体式、全方位发展态势。

Third, the endogenous driving force for the development of the ideological and political education discipline has become more abundant. The development of the ideological and political education discipline is mainly influenced and driven by external driving forces and endogenous driving forces. The development of the ideological and political education discipline must both seek external driving forces to rely on externally and actively explore sustained and stable endogenous driving forces internally. Although both external and endogenous driving forces are important forces promoting the development of the ideological and political education discipline, compared with external driving forces, endogenous driving forces are undoubtedly a deeper force. They originate from the tension between the actual state and the expected state of the discipline at a specific stage. The two belong to the contradiction between what is and what ought to be, constituting an inexhaustible source for the sustained development of the discipline.

第三，思想政治教育学科发展的内生动力更为充沛。思想政治教育学科的发展主要受外驱动力和内生动力影响推动。思想政治教育学科发展既要向外寻求可供依靠的外驱动力，也要向内积极探索持续稳定的内生动力。虽然外驱动力和内生动力都是推动思想政治教育学科发展的重要力量，但相较于外驱动力对来说，内生动力无疑是更为深层的力量，其源于特定阶段学科实际状况和预期状况之间的张力，二者属于实然和应然的矛盾，构成了学科持续发展的不竭之源。

First, since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the development of the ideological and political education discipline has revolved around the fundamental question of "what kind of people to cultivate, how to cultivate them, and for whom to cultivate them." Guided by fostering virtue through education [8]8 "Fostering virtue through education" (立德树人, *lide shuren*) is a core principle in Chinese education policy, emphasizing moral cultivation as the foundation of talent development., it has consolidated consensus on educating people, fully mobilized and stimulated the initiative of ideological and political educators in theoretical research, course teaching, and daily work, and continuously enhanced the endogenous driving force of disciplinary development by taking team building as the starting point. Second, in the process of development, the ideological and political education discipline adheres to object-oriented thinking, focuses on cultivating new generations for the era [9]9 "New generations for the era" (时代新人, *shidai xinren*) refers to the ideal socialist builders and successors envisioned by the CPC, possessing both moral integrity and professional competence., and fully pays attention to the practical needs of young students' growth and development. It "centers on students, cares for students, serves students, and continuously improves students' ideological level, political awareness, moral quality, and cultural literacy, so that students become talents with both moral integrity and professional competence, and develop comprehensively." [4]4 “Educating the people through the Way” (以教道民) refers to the Confucian concept of using moral teachings (the Way, or Dao) to guide and transform the populace.(P540) Third, in the process of development, the ideological and political education discipline adheres to reflective thinking, involving both internal examination at the theoretical level and summary and review at the practical level. On the basis of clarifying the function and role of the discipline and accurately positioning it in the times, it conducts internal comparisons with the secondary disciplines within the first-level discipline of Marxist theory, and external comparisons with traditional humanities disciplines such as philosophy, pedagogy, psychology, and sociology. It pays close attention to the current state of ideological and political education abroad, actively absorbs good practices and mature experiences, identifies shortcomings through comparison, and continues to develop by making up for these shortcomings. Fourth, in the process of development, the ideological and political education discipline applies systematic thinking, dynamically adjusts and optimizes the overall structure and knowledge system of the discipline, and strives to create a favorable ecological environment for the development of the ideological and political education discipline.

其一，党的十八大以来，思想政治教育学科发展围绕“培养什么人、怎样培养人、为谁培养人”这一根本问题，以立德树人为引领凝聚育人共识，充分调动和激发思想政治教育者在理论研究、课程讲授、日常工作等方面的主动性，以队伍建设为抓手不断提升学科发展的内生动力。其二，思想政治教育学科在发展过程中秉承对象思维，聚焦时代新人培育，充分关注青年学生成长成才的现实需要，“围绕学生、关照学生、服务学生，不断提高学生思想水平、政治觉悟、道德品质、文化素养，让学生成为德才兼备、全面发展的人才”。[4](P540)其三，思想政治教育学科在发展过程中坚持反思思维，既有理论层面的内在审视，也有实践层面的总结回顾，在明确学科功能作用，找准时代定位的基础之上，与马克思主义理论一级学科内的各二级学科进行内部比对，与哲学、教育学、心理学、社会学等传统人文学科进行外部对比，高度关注国外思想政治教育的发展现状，积极吸收好的做法和成熟经验，在对照中找到不足，在补齐中继续发展。其四，思想政治教育学科在发展过程中运用系统思维，动态调整与优化学科整体架构和知识体系，致力营造良好的思想政治教育学科发展生态。

Fourth, the innovation orientation of the development of the ideological and political education discipline has become more prominent. Innovating in development and developing in innovation are the keys to the ideological and political education discipline from its establishment to development and then to prosperity. It can be said that adhering to the innovation orientation is an important principle for the series of achievements and results obtained in the 40 years of development of the ideological and political education discipline, and it is also an inherent requirement for promoting the sustained deepening of disciplinary development. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the innovation orientation of the development of the ideological and political education discipline has been further highlighted, mainly manifested in two aspects: theoretical research and practical exploration.

第四，思想政治教育学科发展的创新导向更为凸显。在发展中创新、在创新中发展是思想政治教育学科从创建到发展再到繁荣的关键所在。可以说，坚持创新导向是思想政治教育学科发展40年来取得的一系列成就和成果的重要遵循，也是推动学科持续发展深化的内在要求。党的十八大以来，思想政治教育学科发展的创新导向得到进一步凸显，主要表现在理论研究和实践探索两个方面。

In terms of theoretical research, the team for theoretical research on ideological and political education has gradually taken shape, with a more obvious trend toward specialization and diversification. Experts and scholars of ideological and political education from multiple disciplinary backgrounds and with practical experience, spanning the old, middle-aged, and young generations, have gathered to form an academic community, continuously expanding research horizons, enriching research content, and innovating research methods. Through their united struggle and unremitting efforts, basic theoretical research, applied research, interdisciplinary research, comparative research, and historical research on ideological and political education have been continuously deepened. A batch of high-quality academic achievements has been produced, characterized by disciplinary features, characteristics of the times, and Chinese characteristics, which have won widespread recognition in the academic community, received good social responses, and had a positive impact on the image construction of the ideological and political education discipline. These achievements have greatly promoted the innovative development of the discipline's research paradigm, the construction of an independent knowledge system, and the academic discourse system, and have effectively promoted the organic combination of theoretical research and practical exploration. It can be said that the scientific formation and long-term construction of the theoretical research team for ideological and political education not only contribute to enhancing the academic rationality of the ideological and political education discipline but also provide solid support for the transformation, promotion, and application of the achievements of theoretical research on ideological and political education.

在理论研究方面，思想政治教育理论研究队伍渐成规模，专业化、多样化趋势更加明显，多学科背景、有实务经验的老中青三代思想政治教育专家学者汇集组建学术共同体，不断拓展研究视野、丰富研究内容、创新研究方法。在其团结奋斗和不懈努力下，思想政治教育基础理论研究、应用性研究、交叉学科研究、比较研究、历史研究等不断深化，产出了一批具有学科特色、时代特色、中国特色，赢得学界普遍认可，获得良好社会反响，对思想政治教育学科形象建构具有积极影响的高质量学术成果，极大促进了学科研究范式、自主知识体系建构、学术话语体系的创新发展，有力推动了理论研究与实践探索的有机结合。可以说，思想政治教育理论研究队伍的科学组建与长期建设不仅为增强思想政治教育学科的学理性作出贡献，而且也为思想政治教育理论研究的成果转化、推广和应用提供坚实支撑。

In terms of practical exploration, the development of the ideological and political education discipline is based on the practice of ideological and political education. It continuously summarizes the experience of ideological and political education to form regular understandings, and transforms these regular understandings theoretically, further guiding practice through theory. The development of the ideological and political education discipline takes universities as an important platform and basic unit, effectively promoting the effective integration and rational allocation of disciplinary construction resources for ideological and political education in universities across the country from an overall perspective, and actively establishing inter-school coordination mechanisms to promote disciplinary development. The development of the ideological and political education discipline always focuses on "human issues," adheres to the basic idea of taking student development as the center, and takes the actual educational effect of ideological and political education as the testing standard. On the one hand, it improves the quality and effectiveness of education and teaching by providing teachers with good growth space, learning opportunities, teaching environments, and research support; on the other hand, it is committed to providing multi-faceted help and guidance for students' learning, life, and employment, striving to achieve "grasping both" team building and student cultivation, thereby accumulating deep strength for disciplinary development.

在实践探索方面，思想政治教育学科发展立足思想政治教育实践，不断总结思想政治教育经验形成规律性认识，并将这些规律性认识进行理论转换，通过理论进一步指导实践。思想政治教育学科发展以高校为重要平台和基本单位，从整体上切实推动全国各地区院校思想政治教育学科建设资源的有效整合与合理配置，积极建立校际协同机制以促进学科发展。思想政治教育学科发展始终关注“人的问题”，坚持以学生发展为中心的基本思想，以思想政治教育的实际育人效果为检验标准，一方面，通过为教师提供良好的成长空间、学习机会、授课环境和科研支持以提升教育教学质量和效果；另一方面，则致力于为学生的学习、生活、就业提供多方面帮助和指导，力求实现队伍建设和学生培养“两手抓”，从而为学科发展积蓄深厚力量。

III. Prospects for the Development Trend of the Ideological and Political Education Discipline

三、思想政治教育学科发展的趋势展望

This year, the ideological and political education discipline has officially entered its "age of no doubts" [10]10 "Age of no doubts" (不惑之年, *buhuo zhi nian*) is a classical Chinese allusion from Confucius's *Analects*, referring to the age of 40, when one is no longer perplexed about life's principles.. Over the past 40 years, through continuous and in-depth theoretical research and practical exploration, the ideological and political education academic community has gradually formed a series of regular understandings, further clarified the status and role of the ideological and political education discipline, effectively enhanced disciplinary awareness, disciplinary confidence, and disciplinary quality, and at the same time set the tone for opening the next decade of the development of the ideological and political education discipline. In other words, looking forward to the future of disciplinary development should neither be blindly confident nor overly conservative, but should be considered from the perspective of the overall strategic situation of the development of the Party and the state, with a scientific vision, systematic thinking, and multiple perspectives.

今年，思想政治教育学科正式跨入“不惑之年”。40年来，思想政治教育学界通过持续深入的理论研究和实践探索逐渐形成了一系列规律性认识，进一步明确了思想政治教育学科的地位和作用，切实提升了学科意识、学科自信和学科质量，同时也为开启思想政治教育学科发展的下一个10年奠定了基调。进言之，对学科发展未来进行展望既不应当盲目自信，也不能过于保守，而是要以科学的眼光、系统的思维、多重的视角，从党和国家事业发展战略全局的角度进行思考。

First, clarify the basic orientation of the development of the ideological and political education discipline. Over the past 40 years, the development of the ideological and political education discipline has always been in line with the requirements of the times for social development. In the future, it will inevitably adhere to high-quality development in the process of Chinese-path modernization, providing solid ideological guarantees, strong spiritual strength, favorable cultural conditions, and cultivating new generations for the era for comprehensively advancing the construction of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

第一，明确思想政治教育学科发展的基本面向。40年来，思想政治教育学科发展始终与社会发展的时代要求相适应，今后必将在中国式现代化进程中坚持高质量发展，为全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业提供坚强思想保证、强大精神力量、有利文化条件以及培养时代新人。

First, the discipline’s development takes Chinese-path modernization as its basic orientation. Xi Jinping pointed out: “The exploration of Chinese-path modernization is a historical process of developing through inheritance and innovating through upholding fundamental principles.” [5]5 “The unity of heaven and humanity” (天人合一) is a core Chinese philosophical concept emphasizing the harmonious relationship between the natural world (heaven) and human society.(P232) Chinese-path modernization provides the spatiotemporal field and establishes the basic orientation for the development of the ideological and political education discipline. The establishment and leapfrog development of the ideological and political education discipline correspond to the rhythm of China’s reform and opening up and the pulse of China’s social changes; the development of the ideological and political education discipline itself is an important manifestation of Chinese-path modernization. That the development of the ideological and political education discipline adheres to taking Chinese-path modernization as its basic orientation means not only that it must exert the discipline’s due role to serve Chinese-path modernization, handling the interest relations between the immediate and the long-term, the partial and the whole, and the individual and the collective at the ideological level, but also that it must profoundly grasp the rich connotations and essential requirements of Chinese-path modernization from the perspective of the discipline’s long-term development, thereby ensuring that the discipline’s development neither deviates directionally nor becomes disconnected from the development of the times.

其一，学科发展以中国式现代化为基本面向。习近平指出：“中国式现代化的探索就是一个在继承中发展、在守正中创新的历史进程。”[5](P232)中国式现代化为思想政治教育学科发展提供了时空场域并确立了基本面向。思想政治教育学科的建立、跨越式发展应和着我国改革开放的节奏及我国社会变迁的律动，思想政治教育学科发展本身是中国式现代化的一个重要表征。思想政治教育学科发展坚持以中国式现代化为基本面向，就是不但要发挥出学科的应然作用以服务于中国式现代化，在思想层面上处理好当前和长远、局部和整体、个人和集体之间的利益关系，而且还要从思想政治教育学科长远发展的角度深刻把握中国式现代化的丰富内涵和本质要求，从而确保学科发展既不出现方向性偏差，也不与时代发展相脱节。

Second, the discipline’s development takes high-quality development as its basic orientation. High-quality development is not a slogan; all fields such as the economy, society, culture, and ecology must take high-quality development as their theme and goal. Enhancing disciplinary quality has always been the main task of the ideological and political education discipline over the past 40 years, and it is currently mainly embodied in high-quality development. This includes both the summarization of experience and the understanding of regularities in the discipline’s development, and it is also an inevitable choice for further exerting the discipline’s role and enhancing its vitality in the future. That the ideological and political education discipline adheres to taking high-quality development as its basic orientation requires, on the one hand, upholding the basic principle of seeking truth from facts. The high-quality development of the ideological and political education discipline is an overarching concept; it is not discussed in terms of one aspect or one part alone, but must be manifested in all aspects such as curriculum, scientific research, and practice, scientifically formulating development plans that are “tangible” and “visible” based on actual conditions. On the other hand, the high-quality development of the ideological and political education discipline should also include the optimization and improvement of the disciplinary system. The degree of systematization of the ideological and political education discipline determines, to a certain extent, the effectiveness of ideological and political education practice, and is also a key indicator for measuring the level of disciplinary development. It is necessary to further promote the construction of the curriculum system, knowledge system, method system, personnel system, and discourse system, and to break down horizontal and vertical barriers between these parts to achieve coordinated development.

其二，学科发展以高质量发展为基本面向。高质量发展不是一句口号，经济、社会、文化、生态等各领域都要以高质量发展作为主题和目标。提升学科质量始终是思想政治教育学科40年来的主要任务，当前以高质量发展为主要体现。这既包含了学科发展的经验总结和规律认识，也是面向未来进一步发挥学科作用、增强学科发展生命力的必然选择。思想政治教育学科坚持以高质量发展为基本面向，一方面，要坚持实事求是的基本原则。思想政治教育学科的高质量发展是一个总体性概念，不是就某一方面或某一部分而谈的，而是要体现在课程、科研、实践等各个方面，根据实际情况科学制定“摸得着”“看得见”的发展规划。另一方面，思想政治教育学科的高质量发展还应当包括学科体系的优化与完善。思想政治教育学科体系化程度在一定程度上决定了思想政治教育实践有效性，也是衡量思想政治教育学科发展水平的关键指标，需进一步推动课程体系、知识体系、方法体系、队伍体系、话语体系建构，且破除各部分之间横向、纵向壁垒，实现协同发展。

Second, construct the scientific image of the ideological and political education discipline. Image is the collection of impressions a subject has of the relevant phenomena of a certain object. The formation of an image is a process in which the subject makes value judgments based on “prejudices” [11]11 “Prejudices” (前见, qianjian) refers to the pre-existing structure of consciousness or horizon of understanding that an interpreter brings to any act of interpretation, a concept drawn from Hans-Georg Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics. — that is, the structure of consciousness that already exists in the subject’s mind before understanding the object. The quality of an image often influences the development of a thing to a certain extent. As a science, ideological and political education must possess a corresponding scientific image.

第二，建构思想政治教育学科的科学形象。形象是主体对某一事物相关现象的印象集合。形象的形成是主体根据“前见”即主体在理解对象之前已经存在于头脑中的意识结构进行价值判断的过程。形象的好坏往往会在一定程度上对事物的发展产生影响。思想政治教育作为一门科学，必须要具备与之相对应的科学形象。

First, construct the discipline’s internal image. The internal image of the ideological and political education discipline mainly includes two aspects: on the one hand, the internal image in a broad sense, mainly referring to the impressions or evaluations of the ideological and political education discipline by other disciplines; on the other hand, the internal image in a narrow sense, referring to the impressions or evaluations of the ideological and political education discipline by experts, teachers, and students within the first-level discipline of Marxist theory, especially the second-level discipline of ideological and political education. The key to constructing the internal image of the ideological and political education discipline lies in continuing to promote its scientization, disciplinarization, and standardization, so that it can quickly become a superior discipline in China’s philosophy and social sciences; producing research results widely recognized by other disciplines and the professional field, with high theoretical value and practical significance; and rationally promoting integrated development between the ideological and political education discipline and other disciplines while respecting and considering the attributes, functions, and roles of different disciplines.

一是要建构学科的内部形象。思想政治教育学科的内部形象主要包括两个方面：一方面，广义上的内部形象，主要是指其他学科对于思想政治教育学科的印象或评价；另一方面，狭义上的内部形象，指的是马克思主义理论一级学科，尤其是思想政治教育二级学科专家、教师、学生等对思想政治教育学科的印象或评价。思想政治教育学科内部形象建构的关键在于继续推动学科的科学化、学科化、规范化，使其尽快成为我国哲学社会科学中的优势学科；产出受到其他学科以及业界广泛认可的，具有较高理论价值和现实意义的研究成果；在尊重和考虑不同学科属性、功能、作用的前提下理性推动思想政治教育学科和其他学科之间的融合式发展。

Second, construct the discipline’s public image. The curriculum image and the personnel image are two important components of the discipline’s public image. The curriculum image refers to the image of ideological and political theory courses [12]12 “Ideological and political theory courses” (思想政治理论课, sixiang zhengzhi lilun ke) are the compulsory courses in Marxism and related subjects taught in Chinese schools and universities.; it is a relatively stable overall impression and comprehensive evaluation formed by the public, based on their pre-existing ideological system, of the state of existence, mode of manifestation, and resulting form of ideological and political theory courses. The personnel image refers to the public’s overall impression and basic evaluation of ideological and political educators and current and graduated students of the ideological and political education major. The construction of the public image of the ideological and political education discipline is a long-term process. It should focus on curriculum construction and talent cultivation, cultivating outstanding talents by improving curriculum quality, expanding social influence by relying on the “Grand Ideological and Political Courses” [13]13 “Grand Ideological and Political Courses” (大思政课, da sizheng ke) refers to a policy initiative to expand ideological and political education beyond the classroom into society, practice, and the internet. construction, and gradually reversing the stereotypical impressions some members of the public hold about the ideological and political education discipline.

二是要建构学科的公共形象。课程形象、人员形象是学科公共形象的两个重要组成部分。课程形象指的是思想政治理论课的形象，是公众基于先在思想系统对思想政治理论课的存在状态、表现样态、结果形态形成的较为稳定的总体印象和综合评价。人员形象是指公众对思想政治教育者和思想政治教育专业在读和毕业生的整体印象和基本评价。思想政治教育学科公共形象的建构是一个长期过程，应当以课程建设和人才培养为重点，通过提升课程质量培育优秀人才，依托“大思政课”建设扩大社会影响力，逐步逆转部分公众对思想政治教育学科存在的刻板印象。

Third, construct the discipline’s international image. The needs of people, as the logical starting point of ideological and political education, and the diversity of historical development in different countries and nations respectively determine the universality and particularity of ideological and political education, and also provide the possibility for constructing the discipline’s international image. From a disciplinary perspective, ideological and political education is an applied discipline with distinct Chinese characteristics, possessing particularity; from an educational perspective, ideological and political education has functions and effects similar to moral education in countries around the world, possessing universality. Therefore, building the ideological and political education discipline well, disseminating its theoretical achievements effectively, and summarizing its practical experience well are the “hard truths” for constructing the discipline’s international image. In addition, it is necessary to further strengthen international exchanges, broaden the international perspective of academic research, so that countries around the world pay attention to “China’s ideological and political education” and understand “the China within ideological and political education.”

三是要建构学科的国际形象。作为思想政治教育逻辑起点的人的需要以及不同国家和民族历史发展的多样性分别决定了思想政治教育的普遍性和特殊性，同时也为学科国际形象的建构提供了可能。从学科的角度上看，思想政治教育是一门有着鲜明中国特色的应用型学科，具有特殊性；从教育的角度上看，思想政治教育与世界各国德育功能相近、作用相似，具有普遍性。因此，把思想政治教育学科建设好、理论成果传播好、实践经验总结好是建构学科国际形象的“硬道理”，此外还要进一步加强国际交流，拓宽学术研究的国际视野，让各国关注“中国的思想政治教育”，知道“思想政治教育中的中国”。

Third, promote the integrated development of the ideological and political education discipline. Whether in the past, present, or future, the development of the ideological and political education discipline has never been a process of “working behind closed doors,” but rather a process of being inclusive, upholding fundamental principles, and breaking new ground. If the ideological and political education discipline is to maintain its current good momentum of development, it must deeply promote integration with China’s ancient ideological and political education, other second-level disciplines of Marxist theory, the humanities, and foreign ideological and political education, achieving sustained innovative development through these “four integrations.”

第三，推动思想政治教育学科的贯通式发展。无论过去、现在还是未来，思想政治教育学科的发展从来都不是“闭门造车”式的过程，而是一个兼容并蓄、守正创新的过程。思想政治教育学科若要继续保持当前良好发展势头就一定要深入推动与我国古代思想政治教育、马克思主义理论其他二级学科、人文学科、国外思想政治教育的贯通，在“四个贯通”中实现持续创新发展。

First, integration with China’s ancient ideological and political education. From a disciplinary development perspective, the ideological and political education discipline has only 40 years of history since its formal establishment, but as a socio-historical activity, ideological and political education has a long history. Although China’s ancient ideological and political education has certain historical limitations, some of its views and concepts regarding moral edification, self-cultivation and state governance, and respect for the elderly and care for the young remain applicable today. To achieve integration with China’s ancient ideological and political education, the development of the ideological and political education discipline must adhere to the basic principle of “making the past serve the present,” creatively transform ancient Chinese ideological and political education theories guided by the inherent requirements of current disciplinary development, refine and sublimate the experience of ancient Chinese ideological and political education based on the needs of the times, and conduct internal scrutiny and reasonable sublation of the content of ancient Chinese ideological and political education from the perspective of current social practice.

其一，与我国古代思想政治教育相贯通。从学科发展的角度上看，思想政治教育学科从正式设立至今只有40年的历史，不过作为一种社会历史活动的思想政治教育却有着漫长的历史。我国古代思想政治教育虽有一定的历史局限性，但其中关于道德教化、修身治国、尊老爱幼等的部分观点和理念在今天依旧适用。思想政治教育学科发展要实现与我国古代思想政治教育的贯通，必须坚持“古为今用”的基本原则，以当前学科发展的内在要求为导向对我国古代思想政治教育理论进行创造性转化，以时代发展需求为基准对我国古代思想政治教育经验进行提炼与升华，以当下社会实践视角对我国古代思想政治教育内容进行内在审视与合理扬弃。

Second, integration with other second-level disciplines of Marxist theory. As a second-level discipline within the first-level discipline of Marxist theory, ideological and political education, together with other second-level disciplines such as the basic principles of Marxism and the history of Marxist development, respectively undertakes corresponding tasks and objectives, and they are in a relationship of close coordination and mutual connection. Ideological and political education is the ideological and political education of Marxism. It must not only achieve “believing in Marxism while being within Marxism,” that is, adhering to the guidance of Marxism and scientifically applying Marxism to study the formation and development of people’s ideological and moral character as well as the laws of ideological and political education, but also achieve “speaking of Marxism while being within Marxism,” further organically integrating the latest research results related to Marxism with ideological and political education while ensuring the independence of the ideological and political education discipline, thereby promoting deep integration among the various second-level disciplines in terms of theoretical research, curriculum system, and talent cultivation.

其二，与马克思主义理论其他二级学科相贯通。思想政治教育作为马克思主义理论一级学科中的二级学科，与马克思主义基本原理、马克思主义发展史等二级学科分别承担相应的任务目标，彼此间是密切配合、相互衔接的关系。思想政治教育是马克思主义的思想政治教育，不但要做到“在马信马”，即坚持马克思主义指导，科学运用马克思主义研究人的思想品德的形成和发展以及思想政治教育规律，而且也要做到“在马言马”，在确保思想政治教育学科独立性的前提下进一步将马克思主义相关研究最新成果与思想政治教育有机结合，推动各二级学科在理论研究、课程体系、人才培养等方面的深度贯通。

Third, to achieve integration with the humanities. “At present, whether from the perspective of the laws of scientific development or the reality of disciplinary development, further intensifying interdisciplinary research, exploring new research domains, and establishing new sub-disciplines are inevitable trends in the innovative development of the ideological and political education discipline.” [6]6 “Investigating things to extend knowledge” (格物致知) is a key concept from the Confucian classic *The Great Learning*, referring to the process of studying phenomena to achieve moral understanding.(P7) For the ideological and political education discipline to achieve integration with the humanities, first, it must further broaden its research horizons on the premise of clarifying disciplinary boundaries, actively engaging in cross-disciplinary integration with humanities such as education, political science, management, psychology, and communication studies, thereby promoting theoretical innovation in ideological and political education. Second, it must ensure that the connotations of key concepts such as “ideological and political education,” “the essence of ideological and political education,” and “the function of ideological and political education” are clearly defined and commonly understood in research within other humanities disciplines, avoiding “misalignment” or “aphasia” in the process of cross-disciplinary integration due to conceptual generalization or narrowing. This will allow ideological and political education to gradually transform from what is perceived as a “marginal discipline” into a key, advantageous, and distinctive discipline within China’s philosophical and social science system, gaining increasing recognition and support from all sectors of society.

其三，与人文学科相贯通。“当前，无论是从科学发展规律还是从学科发展现实看，进一步加大学科交叉研究力度，探索新的研究论域，建设新的分支学科，都是思想政治教育学学科创新发展的必然趋势。”[6](P7)思想政治教育学科要实现与人文学科相贯通，一是要在明确学科边界的前提下进一步拓宽研究视野，主动与教育学、政治学、管理学、心理学、传播学等人文学科进行交叉融合，促进思想政治教育理论创新。二是要确保“思想政治教育”“思想政治教育本质”“思想政治教育功能”等重要概念的内涵在其他人文学科研究中得到明确并实现共通，避免因概念泛化或窄化造成交叉融合过程的“错位”“失语”，让思想政治教育从人们眼中的“边缘学科”逐渐成为我国哲学社会科学体系中的重点学科、优势学科、特色学科，获得社会各界越来越多的认可与支持。

Fourth, to achieve integration with foreign ideological and political education. Xi Jinping pointed out at the Symposium on Philosophy and Social Sciences: “We should absorb and draw lessons from the beneficial theoretical viewpoints and academic achievements created by humanity, but we must not treat a certain theoretical viewpoint or academic achievement as the ‘sole criterion,’ nor should we attempt to use one model to transform the entire world, otherwise we will easily slide into the quagmire of mechanism.” [4]4 “Educating the people through the Way” (以教道民) refers to the Confucian concept of using moral teachings (the Way, or Dao) to guide and transform the populace.(P481) For the development of the ideological and political education discipline to achieve integration with foreign ideological and political education, specifically, first, it must further clarify the discipline’s attributes and positioning, firmly grasp its ideological nature, and on this basis, rationally absorb and draw lessons from the academic achievements and practical experiences of foreign ideological and political education. Second, it must further increase opportunities for ideological and political education workers, such as experts and scholars, university ideological and political theory course teachers, counselors, and student affairs cadres, to regularly go abroad for study and exchange. In the process of study and exchange, they can continuously broaden their international perspectives and better conduct ideological and political education practice through horizontal comparison.

其四，与国外思想政治教育相贯通。习近平在哲学社会科学工作座谈会上指出：“对人类创造的有益的理论观点和学术成果，我们应该吸收借鉴，但不能把一种理论观点和学术成果当成‘唯一准则’，不能企图用一种模式来改造整个世界，否则就容易滑入机械论的泥坑。”[4](P481)思想政治教育学科发展要实现与国外思想政治教育的贯通，具体来看，一是要进一步明确学科属性与学科定位，把牢意识形态性，在此基础上合理吸收与借鉴国外思想政治教育的学术成果和实践经验；二是要进一步增加专家学者、高校思想政治理论课教师、辅导员、学工干部等思想政治教育工作者定期赴海外学习交流的机会，在学习交流的过程中不断拓宽国际视野，在横向比较中更好地进行思想政治教育实践。

Fourth, to enhance the cultural strength of the development of the ideological and political education discipline. Ideological and political education is not only a political phenomenon but also a cultural phenomenon. It is an important vehicle and manifestation of educating people through culture and cultivating people with culture, and it is key to cultivating and establishing cultural subjectivity, playing a significant role in the development of culture and the evolution of civilization. In essence, the development of the ideological and political education discipline is coupled with cultural development; it must fully draw on cultural strength to promote disciplinary development.

第四，增强思想政治教育学科发展的文化力量。思想政治教育不只是一种政治现象，更是一种文化现象。其是以文化人、以文育人的重要载体和表现形式，是培育和确立文化主体性的关键，在文化的发展、文明的演进过程中发挥着重要作用。质言之，思想政治教育学科发展与文化发展相耦合，必须要充分汲取文化力量以推动学科发展。

First, to enhance the extensibility of disciplinary development. Culture as a mode of existence plays an important role in the development of the ideological and political education discipline. First, there is the “cultural ideological and political education,” meaning that the establishment and development of the ideological and political education discipline are closely related to the social and cultural environment of the time; then there is the “culture of ideological and political education,” meaning elements such as the cultural environment and cultural carriers of ideological and political education. Furthermore, the inertia of culture—that is, the constraints of cultural traditions, social customs, and ideological concepts on social development—can place the discipline in a relatively stable state, but it can also objectively impact innovation in the discipline’s research paradigms and knowledge systems. Therefore, the development of the ideological and political education discipline needs to dialectically view this cultural inertia. On one hand, it should actively expand outward, linking disciplinary development with cultural development, and addressing related issues in cultural development through disciplinary construction. On the other hand, it should form a favorable cultural environment for the development of the ideological and political education discipline, driving the “great cycle” of society through the “internal cycle” of the discipline.

首先，增强学科发展的延展性。作为一种生存方式的文化在思想政治教育学科发展过程中具有重要作用，先有“文化的思想政治教育”即思想政治教育学科的设立和发展与当时所处的社会文化环境密切相关，才有“思想政治教育的文化”即思想政治教育文化环境、文化载体等要素。进言之，文化所具有的惯性即文化传统、社会习俗、思想观念等对社会发展的牵制，既会让学科处于相对稳定的状态，但也会在客观上对学科研究范式、知识体系等的创新带来一定影响。因此，思想政治教育学科发展需要辩证看待这种文化惯性，一方面要积极向外拓展，将学科发展与文化发展之间联系起来，通过学科建设解决文化发展中的相关问题；另一方面则要形成良好的思想政治教育学科发展文化环境，通过学科“内循环”带动社会“大循环”。

Second, to enhance the fluidity of disciplinary development. Culture is not a fixed thing congealed at a certain moment but presents a state of constant change and continuous flow. Modernization and economic globalization not only lead to more frequent flows of people and social classes but also promote the flow of various forms of culture through economic trade, political exchanges, and other means, especially the flow of ideas. This fluidity of culture or ideas profoundly affects the construction of the cultural environment and the educational effectiveness of ideological and political education. On one hand, it is necessary to pay full attention to the flow of social culture or ideas and the deep-seated social structural changes behind them during the development process, finding internal logic and forming regular understandings in the seemingly complex and patternless changes to better adapt to changes in the social and cultural environment. On the other hand, it is necessary to actively integrate into and adapt to the rapid rhythm of this flow of culture or ideas to further promote the cultural production and cultural dissemination of ideological and political education, ultimately continuously enhancing the actual effect of educating people through culture and cultivating people with culture.

其次，增强学科发展的流动性。文化并非凝结在某一时刻的固定事物，而是呈现出一种变动不居、时刻流动的状态。现代化、经济全球化不仅导致人的流动、社会阶层的流动更为频繁，而且也通过经济贸易、政治交往等方式促进各样态文化之间的流动，尤其以思想的流动为主。文化或思想的这种流动性深刻影响着思想政治教育的文化环境建设和育人效果，一方面需要在发展过程中充分关注社会文化或思想的流动及背后深层的社会结构变化，在看似没有规律可循的复杂流变中找到内在逻辑、形成规律性认识以更好地适应社会文化环境的变化；另一方面则要主动融入和适应文化或思想的这种快速流动的节奏以进一步推动思想政治教育的文化生产和文化传播，最终不断增强以文化人、文化育人的实际效果。

Finally, to enhance the diversity of disciplinary development. “The most valuable feature of the concept of culture is the concept of difference; it is a trait of comparison between things rather than a trait of things themselves… Treating culture as an entity is useless; it is better to regard it as a dimension of certain phenomena, a dimension that can focus on situated, concrete differences.” [7]7 The National Conference on Ideological and Political Work in Colleges and Universities was held in December 2016, and the Symposium for Teachers of Ideological and Political Theory Courses in Schools was held in March 2019. Both were presided over by Xi Jinping.(P17) How to further establish the autonomy of disciplinary development amidst cultural differences and, on this basis, achieve integrated development is a problem that the development of the ideological and political education discipline must directly confront. Overall, the future development of the ideological and political education discipline can only further highlight its essential attributes and contemporary characteristics through diachronic and synchronic comparison. Only by holding fast to the Marxist foundation, maintaining an open and inclusive development posture, taking root in the historical culture with national characteristics, opening up an international perspective, and facing the diverse cultures and various trends of thought in society, can it find its unique “mode of existence” or “path of development” in the process of Chinese-path modernization—that is, a development model that meets the needs of social development and progress and the needs of comprehensive human development, as well as the laws of cultural development and the laws of ideological and political education. This will continuously enhance its participation and contribution to the construction of modern civilization of the Chinese nation.

最后，增强学科发展的多样性。“文化这一概念最有价值的特征就是差异的概念，它是事物间对比的而非自身的特质……文化被当作实体是没有用的，不如将其看作某种现象的一个维度，这一维度能关注到境遇化的、具体化的差异。”[7](P17)如何在文化差异中进一步确立学科发展的自主性并在此基础上实现融合式发展，是思想政治教育学科发展必须直面的问题。从整体上看，思想政治教育学科的未来发展只有在历时性和共时性对比中才能进一步凸显学科的本质属性和时代特质，也只有守住马克思主义根本，保持开放包容的发展姿态，扎根于本国特色的历史文化之中，打开国际视野格局，面向社会多种文化各类思潮，才能在中国式现代化进程中找到学科独特的“存在方式”或“发展之道”，即一条既符合社会发展进步需要和人的全面发展需要，也符合文化发展规律和思想政治教育规律的发展模式，不断提升对中华民族现代文明建设的参与度和贡献度。

IV. Conclusion

四、结语

In summary, over its 40-year development process, the ideological and political education discipline has formed the basic experience of disciplinary construction that emphasizes both theoretical research and practical exploration. Through practice, it has been tested and elevated to regular understanding, becoming an important guideline for leading disciplinary development. Furthermore, through the organic connection between theoretical research and practical exploration, the internal logic of the development of the ideological and political education discipline can be profoundly reflected. The profound changes at the level of social structure and concepts have endowed the establishment of the ideological and political education discipline with full practical necessity, encompassing both the generality of moral education worldwide and the particularity of China’s ideological and political education. It is precisely through this dialectical movement between generality and particularity that the ideological and political education discipline has been able to find and clarify its contemporary positioning and functional role amidst the diachronic changes in the developmental needs of society and individuals. At the same time, the general laws of the development of China’s philosophy and social sciences since reform and opening up—that is, advancing the construction of the disciplinary system under the guidance of Marxism, using the Party’s innovative theoretical achievements to lead disciplinary, academic, and discourse research—have endowed the ideological and political education discipline with vitality, constituting the endogenous driving force for promoting the scientification and disciplinization of ideological and political education and the deep-seated force for promoting the sustained development of the ideological and political education discipline. In a word, the convergence, integration, and mutual reinforcement between theoretical research and practical exploration continuously drive the sustained development of the ideological and political education discipline. Only by advancing along this path can the ideological and political education discipline fulfill its mission and tasks in the process of Chinese-path modernization, thereby better playing its due role as a discipline.

综上所述，思想政治教育学科在其40年的发展历程中形成了理论研究和实践探索并重这一学科建设的基本经验，通过实践进行检验，并将其上升为规律性认识，成为引领学科发展的重要遵循。进言之，透过理论研究和实践探索的有机联系能够深刻反映出思想政治教育学科发展的内在逻辑。社会结构和观念层面的深刻变革赋予思想政治教育学科设立充分的现实必要性，既有世界范围内道德教育的一般性，也有我国思想政治教育的特殊性。思想政治教育学科正是通过这种一般性和特殊性之间的辩证运动才得以在社会、个体发展需要的历时性变化中找到并明确自身的时代定位与功能作用。与此同时，改革开放以来我国哲学社会科学发展的一般规律即以马克思主义为指导推进学科体系建构，用党的创新理论成果引领学科、学术、话语研究，赋予思想政治教育学科以生命力，构成了推进思想政治教育科学化、学科化的内生动力和促进思想政治教育学科持续发展的深层力量。一言以蔽之，理论研究和实践探索之间的交汇融合、相辅相成不断推动着思想政治教育学科持续发展，只有循此前进，思想政治教育学科才能在中国式现代化进程中完成好自身肩负的使命任务，从而更好地发挥出学科的应然作用。

(Author’s bio: Feng Gang, Dean of the Institute of Ideological and Political Work at Beijing Normal University, Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the School of Marxism)

（作者简介：冯刚，北京师范大学思想政治工作研究院院长，马克思主义学院教授、博士生导师）

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心