The Course, Characteristics and Prospects of Research on Contradictions in Ideological and Political Education over the Past Forty Years

Marxism holds that contradiction is the most fundamental attribute of things and the fundamental driving force of their development. As a social spiritual production activity whose main task is to improve people’s ideological and political moral character, ideological and political education must clearly answer the “source question” of what contradictions it resolves and how it resolves them. At the same time, with the deepening of the disciplinary construction of ideological and political education, research around this “source question” has continuously deepened, and theoretical achievements have become increasingly abundant. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “People’s cognitive activities and practical activities are, fundamentally speaking, a process of constantly understanding contradictions and constantly resolving contradictions.”[1]1 Xi Jinping, *Xi Jinping: The Governance of China*, Vol. 1, Beijing: Foreign (P280) To continuously promote the upholding of fundamental principles and breaking new ground in the innovative development of ideological and political education in the New Era, it is necessary to clarify the relationships between its basic contradictions and specific contradictions, distinguish between principal contradictions and secondary contradictions, and study long-standing inherent contradictions and constantly emerging new contradictions. Therefore, summarizing and analyzing the research status of contradictions in ideological and political education over the forty years since the establishment of the discipline will help ideological and political educators adhere to the guidance of Marxist dialectical thinking and the viewpoint of contradiction, and further promote the resolution of various types of contradictory problems in ideological and political education.

马克思主义认为，矛盾是事物最基本的属性，是事物发展的根本动力。作为一种以提高人的思想政治品德为主要任务的社会精神生产活动，思想政治教育必然需要明确回答其解决什么矛盾、如何解决矛盾这一“源头问题”。同时，随着思想政治教育学科建设的不断深入，围绕这一“源头问题”的研究不断深化，理论成果也日益丰富。习近平总书记指出：“人的认识活动和实践活动，从根本上说就是不断认识矛盾、不断解决矛盾的过程。”[1]（P280）不断推动思想政治教育在新时代的守正创新发展，需要明晰其基本矛盾与具体矛盾、区分主要矛盾与次要矛盾、研究长期存在的固有矛盾与不断出现的新矛盾等关系问题。因而，对思想政治教育学科创建四十年来关于思想政治教育矛盾的研究状况进行总结分析，有助于思想政治教育者坚持以马克思主义的辩证思维和矛盾观点等为指导，进一步推动思想政治教育各类矛盾问题的化解。

I. The Basic Course of Research on Contradictions in Ideological and Political Education over the Past Forty Years

一、四十年来思想政治教育矛盾研究的基本历程

In 1984, based on a profound understanding that ideological and political education is an important science for governing the Party and the state, the Party and the state began to establish the specialty of ideological and political education in some universities. In 1995, the state adjusted the disciplinary specialty catalogue and, under the first-level discipline of political science, established the specialty of Marxist theory and ideological and political education as its second-level discipline. In 2005, the state added Marxist theory as a first-level discipline and listed the specialty of ideological and political education separately as a second-level discipline under it. Reviewing the course of disciplinary construction over the past forty years, research on contradictions in ideological and political education, as a topic that is both unavoidable and constantly yields new insights when studied, has roughly gone through four stages.

1984年，基于对思想政治教育是一门治党治国重要科学的深刻认识，党和国家开始在部分高校创办思想政治教育专业。1995年，国家调整学科专业目录，在政治学一级学科之下，设立马克思主义理论与思想政治教育专业作为其二级学科。2005年，国家增设马克思主义理论为一级学科，并将思想政治教育专业单独列为其中的二级学科。回顾四十年来学科建设的历程，思想政治教育矛盾研究作为一个既绕不开、又常研常新的话题，大致经历了四个阶段。

1. Preliminary Construction Stage (1984–1988). In this stage, adapting to the needs of reform and opening up and taking economic construction as the center, the content of work related to ideology in the Party and the state gradually increased, and the demand for disciplinary and scientific construction of ideological and political education also grew. In 1984, the Ministry of Education organized professional demonstrations, establishing the study of ideological and political education as a comprehensive applied discipline and ideological and political education as a specialty. Subsequently, questions such as what the special contradiction in the field of ideological and political education is, what its research object is, and what the basic contradiction to be resolved is became issues that disciplinary theoretical workers had to study. Judging from the research results of this stage, research on contradictions in ideological and political education mainly drew on the theory of contradictions in pedagogy, especially the process of moral education. For example, pedagogical theory holds that the contradiction between the educatee and the educational content is the most basic and decisive contradiction, and “the basic contradiction in the process of moral education is the contradiction between the moral education tasks proposed by the educator and the existing moral state of the educatee”[2]2 The New Era (新时代) refers to the period since the 19th National Congress of the CPC in 2017, characterized by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. (P79). Through disciplinary borrowing and transformation, in 1986, *Principles of Ideological and Political Education*, edited by Lu Qingren, proposed that “the contradiction between the ideological and political moral norms of social requirements mastered by the educator and the ideological and political moral level of the educatee is the basic contradiction in the process of ideological and political education”[3]3 The “two-point theory” (两点论) and “key-point theory” (重点论) are dialectical-materialist methodological principles: the former requires examining both aspects of a contradiction, the latter requires identifying the principal aspect. The phrase “combining the two-point theory and the key-point theory” is a standard formulation in Chinese Marxist pedagogy. (P117-120). This disciplinary borrowing and transformation not only highlighted its disciplinary attribute of taking promoting the formation and development of people’s ideological and political moral character as its main task, but also followed the basic theory of the educational and teaching process, thereby reflecting the theoretical creativity of the discipline of ideological and political education.

1. 初步建构阶段（1984—1988年）。这个阶段适应改革开放和以经济建设为中心的需要，党和国家有关思想性的工作内容逐渐增多，对思想政治教育进行学科化和科学化建设的需求也日益增加。1984年，教育部组织专业论证，将思想政治教育学作为一门综合性应用型学科、思想政治教育作为一个专业予以确立。随之，围绕思想政治教育学领域的特殊矛盾是什么、研究对象是什么、要解决的基本矛盾是什么等，成为学科理论工作者必须要研究的问题。从这个阶段的研究成果看，对思想政治教育矛盾的研究主要是借鉴教育学特别是德育过程矛盾理论。例如，教育学理论认为，受教育者与教育内容的矛盾是最基本的、决定性的矛盾，“德育过程的基本矛盾是教育者提出的德育任务与受教育者现有的道德状况之间的矛盾”[2]（P79）。经过学科借鉴与改造，1986年，陆庆壬主编的《思想政治教育学原理》提出，“教育者掌握的社会要求的思想政治品德规范与受教育者思想品德水平之间的矛盾是思想政治教育过程的基本矛盾”[3]（P117-120）。这种学科借鉴与改造，既突出了其以促进人的思想政治品德形成和发展为主要任务的学科属性，又遵循了教育教学过程的基本理论，从而体现了思想政治教育学科的理论创造性。

2. Theoretical Standardization Stage (1989–2003). In this stage, following the quelling of the political disturbance in the spring and summer of 1989, the Party and the state deeply reflected on work on the ideological front. “The biggest mistake in the ten years was in education, and here I am mainly referring to ideological and political education”[4]4 " (P306). To further strengthen and standardize the cultivation of specialized personnel for ideological and political work, the former State Education Commission formulated and issued the *Opinions on Running the Specialty of Ideological and Political Education in Institutions of Higher Education* in 1993, which clearly stated: “The study of ideological and political education is an applied discipline based on Marxist theory, studying the laws of the formation and development of people’s socialist ideological consciousness and the laws of implementing ideological and political education. It has strong political, ideological, practical and comprehensive characteristics.” Contradictions arise on the basis of laws; contradictions and laws together constitute the process of the movement and development of a thing. The study of ideological and political education takes the “two laws” as its research object, providing a fundamental basis for determining its special contradiction, namely “the contradiction between the requirements of a certain social development and people’s actual level of ideological and moral character”[5] (P7). Research on contradictions in ideological and political education in this stage mainly further consolidated and standardized the research results of the earlier period. For example, in 1999, the textbook *Principles of Ideological and Political Education*, edited by Qiu Weiguang and Zhang Yaocan as a course textbook for the 21st century, pointed out that “the inconsistency between the ideological and moral requirements of a specific society mastered by the educator and the ideological and moral level of the educatee is the basic contradiction in the process of ideological and political education”[6] (P111). At the same time, some scholars began to explore explanations of contradictions in ideological and political education from the perspectives of people’s comprehensive development and spiritual production. For example, in 2003, Zhang Xiping proposed “contradictions arising from the inability of ideological and political education work to meet people’s certain ideological or spiritual desires”[7]. This analytical thinking, which breaks away from “the requirements mastered by the educator” or “the requirements of a certain social development,” enhanced the humanistic implications of its contradiction research.

2. 理论规范阶段（1989—2003年）。这个阶段随着1989年春夏之交政治风波的平息，党和国家对思想战线的工作进行了深刻反思，“十年最大的失误是教育，这里我主要是讲思想政治教育”[4]（P306）。为了进一步加强和规范思想政治工作专门人才的培养，原国家教委于1993年制定出台《关于高等学校思想政治教育专业办学的意见》，其中明确表示，“思想政治教育学是以马克思主义理论为基础的，研究人们社会主义思想意识形成、发展规律和实施思想政治教育的规律的一门应用学科，具有很强的政治性、思想性、实践性和综合性”。矛盾是在规律的基础上产生的，矛盾和规律共同构成了一个事物运动和发展的过程。思想政治教育学将“两个规律”作为研究对象，为确定其特殊矛盾即“一定的社会发展的要求同人们实际的思想品德水准之间的矛盾”[5]（P7）提供了根本依据。这个阶段对思想政治教育矛盾的研究，主要是进一步巩固和规范前期的研究成果，如1999年邱伟光、张耀灿主编的面向21世纪课程教材《思想政治教育学原理》指出，“教育者所掌握的特定社会的思想品德要求与受教育者的思想品德水平之间的不一致是思想政治教育过程的基本矛盾”[6]（P111）。与此同时，一些学者开始探索从人的全面发展和精神生产等角度对思想政治教育矛盾进行阐释，如2003年张西平提出“思想政治教育工作无法满足人们的某种思想或精神欲求而产生的矛盾”[7]，这种跳出“教育者所掌握的要求”或“一定社会发展的要求”的分析思维，增强了其矛盾研究的人学意蕴。

3. Gradual Deepening Stage (2004–2011). In this stage, the Central Committee of the CPC and the State Council issued the *Several Opinions on Further Strengthening and Improving the Ideological and Political Education of College Students*, which made an overall deployment and put forward specific requirements for strengthening and improving the ideological and political education of college students under the new situation, providing basic guidance for ideological and political education to adhere to a people-centered approach, highlight key points, and continuously deepen disciplinary theoretical research. On the one hand, the perspective of research on the basic contradictions of ideological and political education continuously expanded. For example, Lin Jing and Zhang Shujun believed that the contradiction between social expectations and individual choices is a direct manifestation of the basic contradiction of ideological and political education[8]; this is an analysis from the level of goals and effects. Lu Jingkun believed that the basic contradiction in the process of ideological and political education involves both the question of whether the educational object can accept ideological and political education and the question of whether the educational object is willing to accept ideological and political education[9]; this is an analysis from the level of the cognitive category and the emotional category. On the other hand, research on the hierarchical classification of contradictions in ideological and political education continuously enriched. For example, Liu Ye divided the contradictions in the process of ideological and political education into three different levels, including contradictions between the process and the external environment, contradictions within the process itself, and contradictions within the subject itself.[10] Zeng Xiyun divided the specific contradictions of ideological and political education into three stages: preparation, implementation, and inspection and evaluation.[11]

3. 逐步深化阶段（2004—2011年）。这个阶段中共中央、国务院印发《关于进一步加强和改进大学生思想政治教育的若干意见》，对新形势下加强和改进大学生思想政治教育进行整体部署和提出具体要求，为思想政治教育坚持以人为本、突出重点，不断深化学科理论研究提供了基本遵循。一方面，对思想政治教育基本矛盾研究的视野不断拓展。例如，林晶、张澍军认为社会期待与个人选择之间的矛盾是思想政治教育基本矛盾的直接表现[8]，这是从目标与效果层面进行的分析；卢景昆认为思想政治教育过程的基本矛盾既涉及教育对象能不能接受思想政治教育的问题，又涉及教育对象愿不愿意接受思想政治教育的问题[9]，这是从认知范畴与情感范畴层面进行的分析。另一方面，对思想政治教育矛盾的分层分类研究不断丰富。例如，刘烨将思想政治教育过程的矛盾分为了三个不同层次，包含了其过程与外部环境的矛盾、过程内部的矛盾以及主体自身的矛盾。[10]曾喜云将思想政治教育的具体矛盾分为准备、实施和检验评估三个阶段。[11]

4. The Stage of Innovative Development (2012 to the present). In this stage, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has placed great emphasis on ideological and political work. By convening the National Conference on Ideological and Political Work in Colleges and Universities, strengthening the construction of Marxist colleges in higher education institutions, and promoting innovative reforms in the teaching of ideological and political theory courses, it has comprehensively and deeply advanced its adherence to the correct path and innovative development. Research on contradictions in ideological and political education in this stage, on the one hand, is based on the transformation of the principal contradiction in society in the New Era [2]2 The New Era (新时代) refers to the period since the 19th National Congress of the CPC in 2017, characterized by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. to reveal new changes in its contradictions. For example, Wang Xuejian holds that its basic contradiction is the contradiction between the objective requirements for ideological and political character raised by social development in the New Era and the current level of people’s ideological and political character [12]; Wang Xisheng holds that its principal contradiction is mainly manifested in contradictions between theory and practice, between demands and circumstances, between subject and object, and between means and effects [13]; Wang Yan proposes that with the emergence of the “need for a better life,” the focal point of the contradiction between “social development requirements” and “individual development needs” has shifted, and that research on the basic contradiction of ideological and political education, starting from “real people,” has gradually made “individual development needs” the key point and emphasis of the contradiction [14], and so on. On the other hand, in view of the opportunities and challenges brought by modern information technology, it reveals new forms of contradictions in ideological and political education. For example, Xie Yujin and Zhao Yuzhi argue that the new contradiction in online ideological and political education in the New Era is the contradiction between people’s growing need for a better spiritual life and the unsystematic, insufficient, and inflexible supply of information in online ideological and political education [15]; Zhang Chi points out that the real contradictions in the intelligent development of ideological and political education include the objective contradiction between technological ideals and actual availability, the subjective contradiction between digital empowerment and technological anxiety, and the core contradiction between dataism and human-centered commentary [16], and so on.

4. 创新发展阶段（2012年至今）。这个阶段以习近平同志为核心的党中央对思想政治工作十分重视，通过召开全国高校思想政治工作会议、加强高校马克思主义学院建设和推动思想政治理论课教学创新改革等，全面深入地推动其守正创新发展。这个阶段的思想政治教育矛盾研究，一方面立足于新时代社会主要矛盾的转化对其矛盾的新变化进行揭示。例如，王学俭认为其基本矛盾是新时代社会发展所提出的思想政治品德的客观要求与当前人们思想政治品德水平之间的矛盾[12]；王习胜认为其主要矛盾主要体现为理论与实践、诉求与境况、主体与客体、手段与效果之间的矛盾[13]；王艳提出，随着“美好生活需要”的出场，“社会发展要求”与“个体发展需要”之间的矛盾焦点发生了转向，思想政治教育基本矛盾研究从“现实的人”出发，“个体发展需要”逐渐成为矛盾的关节点和侧重点[14]，等等。另一方面，鉴于现代信息技术带来机遇与挑战对思想政治教育矛盾的新形态进行揭示。例如，谢玉进、赵玉枝认为，新时代网络思想政治教育的新矛盾是人们不断增长的美好精神生活需要与网络思想政治教育信息供给的不系统、不充分、不灵活之间的矛盾[15]；张驰指出，思想政治教育智能化发展的现实矛盾包括技术理想与现实可供的客观矛盾、数字赋能与技术焦虑的主观矛盾、数据主义与人本评论的核心矛盾[16]，等等。

II. Main Characteristics of Research on Contradictions in Ideological and Political Education over the Past Forty Years

二、四十年来思想政治教育矛盾研究的主要特征

On the one hand, the construction of the discipline of ideological and political education adheres to taking Marxist theory as its fundamental guide, continuously constructing and perfecting its disciplinary theory; on the other hand, it adheres to taking the laws of ideological and political education as its basic principle, relying on the integration of ideological and political work throughout the entire process of education and teaching, to continuously construct and perfect its organizational implementation system and talent cultivation system. Correspondingly, research on contradictions in ideological and political education, by means of drawing on theories from related disciplines, achieves theoretical construction from nothing; based on following the stipulations of its disciplinary attributes, it achieves theoretical re-engineering from a borrowed type to a disciplinary type; and, more closely integrated with the practical process and work needs of ideological and political education, it continuously promotes the innovative development of disciplinary theoretical research from the abstract to the concrete.

思想政治教育学科建设一方面坚持以马克思主义理论为根本指导，不断构建和完善其学科理论；另一方面坚持以思想政治教育规律为基本遵循，以思想政治工作贯穿教育教学全过程为依托，不断构建和完善其组织实施体系和人才培养体系。与之相适应，思想政治教育矛盾研究既以相关学科理论借鉴的方式，实现从无到有的理论建构；又以遵循其学科属性规定为基础，实现从借鉴型到学科化的理论再造；更紧密结合思想政治教育的实践进程与工作需要，不断推动学科理论研究从抽象化到具体化的创新发展。

1. Taking Marxist theory as the fundamental guide. Studying the contradictions of ideological and political education is essentially interpreting the contradictions in the process of organizing and implementing ideological and political education through the Marxist view of contradiction. In the Marxist view, people “are the bearers of certain class relations and interests” and “are always the products of these relations” [17] (p. 84). As an activity that cultivates people in terms of ideological and political character, ideological and political education must inevitably unfold around the contradictory difference between the requirements for ideological and political character that reflect certain class relations and interests and the actual level of people’s ideological and political character. Existing research defines the requirements for ideological and political character that reflect certain class relations and interests as the requirements for ideological and political character held by a certain society or by educators, and identifies the contradictory difference between these and people’s actual level (standard, current state, etc.) of ideological and political character as the basic contradiction of ideological and political education. This provides a prerequisite basis for accurately grasping the entire process of ideological and political education from its emergence to its development.

1. 以马克思主义理论为根本指导。研究思想政治教育的矛盾，实质上就是以马克思主义矛盾观来解读思想政治教育组织实施过程的矛盾。在马克思主义看来，人“是一定的阶级关系和利益的承担者”“总是这些关系的产物”[17]（P84），而作为一种从思想政治品德上培育人的活动，思想政治教育必然围绕反映一定阶级关系和利益的思想政治品德要求与人们思想政治品德实际水平之间的差异性矛盾而展开。现有的研究将反映一定阶级关系和利益的思想政治品德要求，界定为一定社会的或教育者所掌握的思想政治品德要求，并将其与人们实际的思想政治品德水平（水准、现状等）之间的差异性矛盾，认定为思想政治教育的基本矛盾，这就为准确把握思想政治教育从发生到发展的全过程提供了前提基础。

2. Taking China’s principal social contradiction as the basic basis. According to the Marxist theory that social being determines social consciousness, although the contradiction between the requirements for ideological and political character that reflect certain classes and interests and the actual level of people’s ideological and political character does not change in essence as it is determined by the economic base, it undergoes corresponding changes in content and form under the influence of changes in the principal social contradiction. This determines that the contradictions of ideological and political education and their research must necessarily change with the changes in the principal social contradiction at different stages. Existing research, on the one hand, based on the principal contradiction in the primary stage of socialism, has generally formed a consensus on the cognition of the basic contradiction of ideological and political education, with any existing differences being merely differences in expression; on the other hand, based on the transformation of China’s principal social contradiction as socialism with Chinese characteristics enters the New Era, the cognition of the basic contradiction of ideological and political education and its different manifestations has become increasingly rich, “mainly manifested in a more conscious research methodology, innovation in research viewpoints through contention, and the initial emergence of signs of new consensus, etc.” [18].

2. 以我国社会主要矛盾为基本依据。按照马克思主义关于社会存在决定社会意识的理论，反映一定阶级和利益的思想政治品德要求与人们实际的思想政治品德的水平之间的矛盾，虽然在经济基础决定之下本质不会发生改变，但受社会主要矛盾变化的影响，在内容与形式上会发生相应的改变，这就决定着思想政治教育矛盾及其研究必然随着不同阶段社会主要矛盾的变化而变化。现有的研究一方面立足社会主义初级阶段的主要矛盾，对思想政治教育基本矛盾的认知总体上形成共识，存在的一些分歧也只是表述方式的不同；另一方面立足中国特色社会主义进入新时代，我国社会主要矛盾的转化，对思想政治教育基本矛盾及其不同呈现形态的认知也日益丰富，“主要表现为研究方法论更为自觉、研究观点在争鸣中创新、初步显露出新共识的迹象等”[18]。

3. Taking the laws of ideological and political education as the basic principle. The discipline of ideological and political education takes the cultivation and education of people’s ideological and political character in a certain society as its research object. It studies both the laws of the formation and development of people’s ideological and political character and the basic laws of organizing and implementing ideological and political education. The essence of its contradictions “can be considered as the organic unity of the individualization of social ideological and political character and the socialization of individual ideological and political character” [19] (p. 138). In studying the individualization of social ideological and political character, a framework for analyzing contradictions with the educator as the object is formed, such as contradictions between the educator and educational methods, environment, content, etc.; in studying the socialization of individual ideological and political character, a framework for analyzing contradictions with the educatee as the object is formed, such as contradictions between the educatee and educational methods, environment, content, etc.; and the two analytical frameworks are internally unified in the contradiction between the educator and the educatee, and externally manifested in contradictions among educational content, educational methods, educational environment, etc. At the same time, in the process of promoting the transformation and development of ideological and political education from tradition to modernity, it both reflects the contradiction between the individual’s need for personalized development and the requirements for socialization at the individual level, and reflects the two-way mutual construction of the relationship between individualization and socialization at the level of ideological and political education.

3. 以思想政治教育规律为基本遵循。思想政治教育学科以一定社会中人的思想政治品德培养教育为研究对象，既研究人的思想政治品德形成和发展规律，又研究思想政治教育组织实施的基本规律，其矛盾的本质“可认为是实现社会思想政治品德的个体化与个体思想政治品德的社会化的有机统一”[19]（P138）。在研究社会思想政治品德的个体化方面，形成以教育者为对象的矛盾分析框架，如教育者与教育方法、环境、内容等之间的矛盾；在研究个体思想政治品德的社会化方面，形成以受教育者为对象的矛盾分析框架，如受教育者与教育方法、环境、内容等之间的矛盾；而两种分析框架内在地统一于教育者与受教育者之间的矛盾，外在地体现为教育内容、教育方法、教育环境等相互之间的矛盾。同时，在推动思想政治教育由传统向现代的转型发展进程之中，既反映着个体层面个性化发展需求与社会化发展要求之间的矛盾，又反映着思想政治教育层面个性化与社会化之间关系的双向互构。

4. Taking the process of ideological and political education activities as the practical reference. Research on contradictions in ideological and political education, starting from the basic contradiction and its analysis in different forms during the implementation process, includes both the analysis of contradictions among various constituent elements, such as educators, educatees, educational mediators (content, methods, etc.), and educational environment, and the analysis of contradictions from different perspectives of process implementation, such as different stages, different levels, and different forms. With the systematic construction and advancement of ideological and political education, the analysis of its basic contradictions and specific contradictions, principal contradictions and secondary contradictions, inherent contradictions and newly emerging contradictions, etc., has become increasingly deepened. The research perspective is no longer limited to the implementation process of ideological and political education but elevates the implementation process of ideological and political education to a whole, that is, shifting from research on the basic contradiction of the ideological and political education process (process perspective) to research on the basic contradiction of ideological and political education (holistic perspective). For example, some scholars study five pairs of contradictions in ideological and political education, mainly covering five areas: interpersonal communication, talent cultivation, group needs, security and stability, and information dissemination. [20] This research shift reflects the practical needs of ideological and political education and the enhanced ability to integrate theory with practice.

4. 以思想政治教育活动过程为现实关照。始于基本矛盾及其在实施过程中以不同形式展开分析的思想政治教育矛盾研究，既包括各个构成要素，如教育者、受教育者、教育介体（内容、方法等）、教育环体等相互之间的矛盾分析，也包括从过程实施的不同角度，如不同阶段、不同层次、不同形式等进行的矛盾分析。随着思想政治教育的体系化建构与推进，对其基本矛盾与具体矛盾、主要矛盾与次要矛盾、固有矛盾与新出现的矛盾等的分析日益深化，研究视野不再局限于思想政治教育的实施过程，而是将思想政治教育的实施过程上升为一个整体，即从思想政治教育过程的基本矛盾（过程视角）研究向思想政治教育的基本矛盾（整体视角）研究进行转向，如有学者研究主要涵盖人际交往、人才培养、群体需求、安全稳定、信息传播五个领域的五对思想政治教育矛盾等。[20]这种研究转向体现着思想政治教育的现实需要，以及理论与实际相结合的能力提升。

5. Taking the integration of multidisciplinary theories and methods as a horizon. The fundamental task of ideological and political education is to study how to use Marxism and its latest theoretical achievements in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times to arm minds and educate the people, cultivating and fostering qualified builders and reliable successors for socialism with Chinese characteristics. The applied character of the discipline of ideological and political education determines that its research on contradictions must adhere to the attitude of seeking truth from facts and the horizon of integration and innovation, scientifically drawing on theories and methods from multiple disciplines such as pedagogy, political science, and psychology. For example, drawing on pedagogical process theory to analyze the basic and specific contradictions in the process of ideological and political education; drawing on political science theory to apply methods such as class analysis and ideological analysis to the analysis of contradictions in ideological and political education; drawing on psychological theory to incorporate psychological qualities and psychological cognitive abilities into the content of analyzing the basic contradictions of ideological and political education. Driven by innovation in modern information technology, the analysis of contradictions in ideological and political education continuously deepens its borrowing and application of modern technological theories and methods. Some scholars have pointed out: “Under the dominance of instrumental rationality, the contradictions of ideological and political education are concentratedly manifested as the utilitarian orientation of educational goals, the deformed development of knowledge, the alienated tendency of abilities, and the absence of the emotional dimension”[21]. It is precisely based on the integrated horizon of multiple disciplines that research on contradictions in ideological and political education continuously innovates in ideas and methods.

5. 以多学科理论与方法为融合视域。思想政治教育的根本任务是研究如何运用马克思主义及其中国化时代化最新理论成果武装头脑、教育人民，培养和造就中国特色社会主义合格建设者和可靠接班人。思想政治教育学科的应用性特征，决定着其矛盾研究必须坚持以实事求是的态度、融合创新的视域，对教育学、政治学、心理学等多学科理论与方法进行科学借鉴。例如，借鉴教育学过程理论，对思想政治教育过程的基本和具体矛盾进行分析；借鉴政治学理论，将阶级分析和意识形态分析等方法运用到思想政治教育矛盾分析之中；借鉴心理学理论，将心理素质和心理认知能力等纳入思想政治教育基本矛盾分析的内容。在现代信息技术的创新驱动下，思想政治教育矛盾分析不断深化对现代技术理论与方法的借鉴与运用。有学者指出：“思想政治教育矛盾在工具理性的主导下，集中表现为教育目标的功利取向、知识的畸形发展、能力的异化倾向、情感维度的缺场”[21]。正是基于多学科的融合视域，思想政治教育矛盾研究在思路与方法上不断创新。

6. Taking ideological and political education for university students as a key sample. Universities are not only the main units for constructing this discipline but also important sites for organizing and implementing ideological and political education; hence, university students have also become the key object of its research on contradictions. On the one hand, research on contradictions in ideological and political education for university students is an inheritance and transformation of existing research results. For example, some scholars summarize the basic contradiction of ideological and political education for university students as “the contradiction between the requirements of the Party and the state and the development of society in a certain period and the actual state of their ideological and political conditions”[22]. On the other hand, research on contradictions in ideological and political education for university students enriches and concretizes its contradictions. For instance, some scholars summarize the structural contradictions constraining the effectiveness of ideological and political education for university students as “the contradiction between the unified orientation of educational goals and the diversified development of university students’ ideology and morality, the contradiction between the dynamic development of university students’ ideology and morality in the evaluation system and the static stability of evaluation standards, the contradiction between the breadth of university students’ scope of knowledge and the narrowness of ideological and political education content, and the contradiction between the fragmented management systems and mechanisms, etc.”[23]. Taking ideological and political education for university students as the object drives the practical turn of its research on contradictions from the macro to the micro, from universality to key points.

6. 以大学生思想政治教育为重点样本。高校不仅是其学科专业的主要建设单位，又是组织实施思想政治教育的重要场所，因而大学生也成为其矛盾研究的重点对象。一方面，大学生思想政治教育矛盾研究是对已有研究成果的继承与改造，如有的学者将大学生思想政治教育的基本矛盾概括为“一定时期党和国家及其社会发展进步的要求同他们的思想政治状况实际之间的矛盾”[22]。另一方面，大学生思想政治教育矛盾研究是对其矛盾的丰富与具化，如有的学者将制约大学生思想政治教育有效性的结构性矛盾概括为“教育目标上一元化主导与大学生思想道德多样化发展的矛盾、评价体系上大学生思想道德的动态发展性与评价标准的静态稳固性的矛盾、教育内容上大学生求知范围的广阔性与思想政治教育内容狭窄性之间的矛盾、管理体制机制的条块矛盾等”[23]。以大学生思想政治教育为对象，推动着其矛盾研究实现从宏观到微观、从普遍性到重点性的实践转向。

III. Prospects for Further Deepening Research on Contradictions in Ideological and Political Education

三、进一步深化思想政治教育矛盾研究的展望

In the forty years since the establishment of the discipline of ideological and political education, although research on contradictions in ideological and political education has formed rich results and, overall, consensus outweighs divergence, based on the New Era, especially as “the transformation of the principal contradiction in society determines the changes in the principal contradiction and other contradictions of ideological and political education in the New Era”[24], it is necessary to further transform concepts, expand ideas, and innovate methods. This involves both deeply promoting the transformation and application of existing research results and continuously deepening research on the structural, realistic, and transcendent aspects of contradictions in ideological and political education in the New Era.

思想政治教育学科创立四十年来，思想政治教育矛盾研究虽然形成了丰硕的成果并在总体上共识大于分歧，但立足新时代，特别是“社会主要矛盾转化决定新时代思想政治教育主要矛盾及其他矛盾的变化”[24]，需要进一步转变观念、拓展思路和创新方法，既深入推动已有研究成果的转化应用，又不断深化新时代思想政治教育矛盾的结构性、现实性和超越性等研究。

1. From multi-layered analysis to structural construction. Whether based on research on contradictions in ideological and political education or on research on contradictions in its process, both show multi-layered characteristics, including both the multi-layered nature of the contradiction structure and the multi-layered nature of the perspective for analyzing contradictions. To meet the needs of accelerating the construction of a high-quality ideological and political work system in the New Era and promoting the integrated advancement of ideological and political education, future research needs to further conduct in-depth studies on the multi-layered contradictions of ideological and political education and their modes of action, forming a relatively stable analytical structure.

1. 从多重性分析到结构性构造。不管是基于思想政治教育矛盾的研究，抑或是基于其过程的矛盾研究都显示出其具有多重性特征，既有矛盾结构的多重性，也有矛盾分析视角的多重性。对接新时代高质量思想政治工作体系加快构建和思想政治教育一体化推进等的需要，未来的研究需要进一步对思想政治教育多重性矛盾及其作用方式进行深入研究，形成相对稳定的分析结构。

First, clarifying basic contradictions and specific contradictions. From the perspective of the attributes of things, basic contradictions are the fundamental stipulations for the formation and development of things, the essential characteristics that distinguish different things from each other; specific contradictions are the concrete forms of expression of basic contradictions, the diverse characteristics for analyzing the formation and development of things under the determination of basic contradictions. Therefore, to solve the problem of multi-layered contradictions in ideological and political education, on the one hand, attention must be paid to the normative role of basic contradictions on the scope of research on specific contradictions, that is, not to generalize the research on its contradictions, thereby avoiding the claim that ideological and political education “covers everything”; on the other hand, the analysis of basic contradictions requires the participation of specific contradictions, that is, placing the research on its basic contradictions within a certain activity process and environmental context for concrete and multi-dimensional interpretation, thereby making it more explanatory and persuasive.

一是明晰基本矛盾与具体矛盾。从事物属性上看，基本矛盾是事物形成与发展的根本规定性，是分析不同事物之间相区别的本质性特征；具体矛盾是基本矛盾的具体表现形式，是分析事物在基本矛盾决定下形成与发展的多样性特征。因此，为解决思想政治教育中多重性矛盾的问题，一方面需要注意基本矛盾对具体矛盾研究范围的规范作用，即不能泛化其矛盾研究，从而避免思想政治教育“包打天下”之说；另一方面对基本矛盾的研究进行解析需要具体矛盾的参与，即将其基本矛盾研究放置于一定的活动过程和环境情景之中进行具体化、多维度阐释，从而使之更具解释力和说服力。

Second, distinguishing principal contradictions from secondary contradictions. From the perspective of the development process of things, principal contradictions are the concrete manifestation of basic contradictions at a specific stage and in a specific environment of things, contradictions that play a dominant and decisive role in the development of things; contradictions other than the principal contradiction are secondary contradictions. As the development stage and environment of things change, their principal contradictions also change; some disappear, while others recede to become secondary contradictions. Analyzing the principal and secondary contradictions of ideological and political education requires, on the one hand, aligning with the periodic changes in the Party’s work tasks, clarifying the main content and forms for promoting the resolution of the basic contradictions of ideological and political education; on the other hand, based on the analysis of specific contradictions of ideological and political education at a specific stage and in a specific environment, both grasping the principal contradiction and paying attention to secondary contradictions, “achieving a combination of the two-point theory and the key-point theory, analyzing specific problems concretely”[25].

二是区分主要矛盾与次要矛盾。从事物发展过程看，主要矛盾是事物在特定阶段、特定环境下基本矛盾的具体呈现，是对事物发展起支配和决定作用的矛盾；除主要矛盾之外的矛盾则为次要矛盾。随着事物的发展阶段和环境等变化，其主要矛盾也会发生变化，有的消失，有的则退居为次要矛盾。分析思想政治教育的主要矛盾与次要矛盾，一方面需要对接党的工作任务的阶段性变化，明确推动思想政治教育基本矛盾解决的主要内容与形式；另一方面立足特定阶段、特定环境下思想政治教育具体矛盾的分析，既紧抓主要矛盾，又重视次要矛盾，“做到两点论与重点论相结合，具体问题具体分析”[25]。

Third, analyzing inherent contradictions and new contradictions. From the perspective of the change characteristics of things, inherent contradictions are contradictions that always exist and function in the process of the formation and development of things; for example, basic contradictions are their long-term inherent contradictions, and principal contradictions are their periodic inherent contradictions; new contradictions refer to contradictions that continuously emerge in the development process of things and did not exist before. As the process of things develops, some new contradictions are directly resolved, while others transform into inherent contradictions, either embodied in basic and principal contradictions or becoming specific and secondary contradictions. Ideological and political education advances with the times, adapts to events, and renews with the situation. It is necessary to strengthen research on inherent contradictions and new contradictions, especially regarding the new situations, new circumstances, and new problems faced. On the one hand, research on inherent contradictions enhances the dominance and initiative of ideological and political education; on the other hand, research on new contradictions enhances its targetedness and timeliness.

三是分析固有矛盾与新的矛盾。从事物变化特征看，固有矛盾是事物形成和发展过程中始终存在和发生作用的矛盾，如基本矛盾为其长期性固有矛盾，主要矛盾为其阶段性固有矛盾；新的矛盾则是指事物发展过程中不断出现、之前不具有的矛盾，并且随着事物发展的过程变化，有的新矛盾直接得到解决，有的则转化为固有矛盾，或者体现在基本矛盾和主要矛盾之中，或者成为具体矛盾和次要矛盾。思想政治教育因时而进、因事而化、因势而新，需要加强对固有矛盾和新的矛盾的研究，特别是针对面临的新形势、新情况、新问题，既以固有矛盾的研究增强思想政治教育的主导性和主动性，又以新的矛盾研究增强其针对性和时效性。

2. From abstract analysis to realistic comparison. The concept of contradiction has a certain degree of abstraction; in essence, it is a theoretical generalization of the relationships and movement laws of the various elements constituting the development of things, including the primary and secondary positions, modes of action, and degrees of influence of each element in their interaction. Based on the realization of a certain value goal of ideological and political education, or because ideological and political education has a practical character, it is necessary, on the basis of strengthening abstract research on contradictions, to further strengthen realistic comparative research on contradiction issues.

2. 从抽象性分析到现实性对照。矛盾概念具有某种程度上的抽象性，其实质上是对构成事物发展的各个要素关系及其运动规律所进行的理论概括，包括各个要素在相互作用中的主次地位、作用方式、影响程度等。基于一定思想政治教育价值目标的实现，或者说思想政治教育具有实践性特征，需要在加强矛盾的抽象性研究的基础上，进一步加强矛盾问题的现实性对照研究。

First, integrating with the goals and tasks of ideological and political education. Any specific activity and process of ideological and political education has corresponding goals and tasks. The clearer the goal design and the more specific the task stipulation, the deeper the understanding of the contradictions in ideological and political education to be resolved; conversely, the deeper the understanding of the contradictions to be resolved, the clearer and more specific the goals and tasks of the activity will become. Existing research has produced many results analyzing the contradictions of ideological and political education from an overall or macro perspective, but relatively few results have been produced from a specific or micro perspective in combination with a specific activity or task of ideological and political education. At present, as the stratified and categorized goals and tasks of ideological and political education become increasingly clear, research on contradictions in ideological and political education needs to further integrate with specific goals and tasks, continuously enhancing the analytical capacity for contradictions in ideological and political education across different fields, types, and levels.

一是结合思想政治教育的目标任务。任何一种具体的思想政治教育活动及其过程，都有着相应的目标任务，并且目标设计越明确、任务规定越具体，就意味着对其要解决的思想政治教育矛盾的认识越深刻；反过来，对要解决的思想政治教育矛盾的认识越深刻，也会推动其活动的目标任务更加明确具体。已有的研究从整体或宏观上分析思想政治教育矛盾的成果较多，但结合某一项具体的思想政治教育活动或任务所进行具体或微观上的研究成果则相对较少。在当前思想政治教育分层分类目标任务日益明确的情况下，思想政治教育的矛盾研究需要进一步结合具体的目标任务，不断增强对不同领域、类型和层次的思想政治教育矛盾的分析能力。

Second, grasp the constraining factors of ideological and political education. The analysis of various contradictions cannot be separated from the analysis of the various constraining factors within the internal system, the external system, and between the internal and external systems of ideological and political education; in other words, all constraining factors constitute the object of research on contradictions in ideological and political education. Existing research has conducted many useful explorations in terms of the influence of educators on the educated, the influence of the social environment on people, and the influence of educational content and methods on the educated. However, the demonstration of the conditions under which these influences take effect, the manner in which they operate, and the extent of their influence is still not sufficiently in-depth or specific. At the same time, there is also a relative lack of specific research on the constraining factors of educators and the educated based on personal growth environment, social experience, physiology, and psychology. Future research should focus on making up for the shortcomings in the analysis of constraining factors in ideological and political education, and needs to construct a people-centered factor analysis system that covers the entire process and all aspects of citizens' growth.

二是把握思想政治教育的制约因素。对各类矛盾进行分析，离不开对思想政治教育内部系统、外部系统以及内外部系统之间各种制约因素的分析，或者说所有制约因素都构成思想政治教育矛盾研究的对象。现有的研究从教育者对受教育者的影响、社会环境对人的影响、教育内容和方法对受教育者的影响等方面进行了许多有益的探索，但对这些影响在何种条件下、以何种方式发生作用，以及影响程度如何等的论证还不够深入具体；同时对于教育者和受教育者基于个人成长环境、社会经历、生理心理等制约因素的具体研究也较为缺乏。未来的研究着力补齐思想政治教育制约因素的分析短板，需要建构以人为中心、覆盖公民成长全过程全方位的要素分析体系。

Third, ground the research in the practical problems of ideological and political education. Contradictions in ideological and political education are usually presented and function in the form of problems. In a certain sense, the analysis of practical problems in ideological and political education is a concrete analysis of its contradictions. Existing research is prone to the phenomenon of "two separate skins" [4]4 ", that is, on the one hand, the study of its contradictions remains at the level of theoretical analysis, and the comparative analysis with practical problems is not specific enough; on the other hand, the study of its problems remains at the level of describing phenomena, and the theoretical elevation from the level of contradictions is not deep enough. Future research needs to further strengthen theoretical thinking and a problem-oriented approach, grounding the study of contradictions in ideological and political education in the analysis of practical problems. It should both focus on giving full play to the role of contradiction research in guiding practical work through theory, and focus on using the study of practical problems to verify and enrich the results of contradiction research.

三是落脚思想政治教育的现实问题。思想政治教育矛盾通常是以问题的形式予以呈现和发挥作用，从一定意义上说，对思想政治教育现实问题的分析就是对其矛盾的具体分析。现有的研究容易出现“两张皮”的现象，即一方面对其矛盾的研究停留在理论分析层面，与现实问题的对照分析不够具体；另一方面对其问题的研究停留在现象描述层面，从矛盾层面进行的理论提升不够深入。未来的研究需要进一步强化理论思维和问题导向，将思想政治教育矛盾研究落脚到现实问题分析上，既注重发挥矛盾研究理论指导实践工作的作用，又注重以现实问题的研究来验证和丰富矛盾研究的成果。

3. From adaptive analysis to transcendent revelation. Research on contradictions in ideological and political education reveals the connotations, forms, and interrelationships of the multiple contradictions of ideological and political education, with the aim of providing a logical basis for people to grasp the laws of ideological and political education. Adaptation to its laws is also adaptation to its contradictions. In the Marxist view, the task of cognition is not only to explain the world, but more importantly to change the world. Under the domination of the law of adaptation and transcendence, ideological and political education needs to further strengthen research on the transcendence of its own contradictions.

3. 从适应性分析到超越性揭示。思想政治教育矛盾研究揭示了思想政治教育多重性矛盾的内涵、形式及其相互关系，其目的在于为人们掌握思想政治教育规律提供逻辑基础。对其规律的适应也就是对其矛盾的适应。在马克思主义看来，认识的任务不仅在于解释世界，更重要的是改造世界。在适应超越规律的支配下，思想政治教育需要进一步加强对自身矛盾的超越性研究。

First, grasp complex situations with traditional advantages. Faced with increasingly complex and changing domestic and international situations and the internal and external contradictions of ideological and political education, research on contradictions in ideological and political education must maintain political resolve and adhere to focusing on the main responsibilities and main business in conducting research. On the one hand, in the ideological sphere, adhering to the guidance of Marxism requires research on how to make good use of traditional advantages such as theoretical propaganda, classroom teaching, and position management, so as to effectively enhance the capacity for propaganda and ideological work of the Party's innovative theories, thereby firmly grasping the leadership and discursive power of ideological struggle in the economic, political, social, cultural, and other fields. On the other hand, adhering to the political principle of the unity of Party spirit and people-centeredness [5] requires research on how to make good use of traditional advantages such as democratic discussion, criticism and education, and psychological counseling, so as to effectively enhance the ability to solve both ideological problems and concrete problems, thereby continuously improving people's sense of security, sense of gain, and sense of happiness.

一是以传统优势把握复杂局面。面对日益复杂变化的国内外形势和思想政治教育内外部矛盾，思想政治教育矛盾研究要保持政治定力，坚持聚焦主责主业开展研究。一方面，在意识形态领域坚持以马克思主义为指导，需要对如何运用好理论宣传、课堂教学、阵地管理等传统优势进行研究，以切实增强党的创新理论的宣传思想工作能力，从而牢牢掌握经济、政治、社会、文化等领域意识形态斗争的领导权和话语权。另一方面，坚持党性和人民性相统一的政治原则，需要对如何运用好民主讨论、批评教育、心理疏导等传统优势进行研究，以切实增强解决思想问题和解决具体问题的能力，从而不断提高人们的安全感、获得感和幸福感。

Second, promote the resolution of contradictions with dialectical thinking. Dialectical thinking is a way and method of analyzing and resolving contradictions. To improve the capacity for dialectical thinking in research on contradictions in ideological and political education is to apply the mode of thinking of dialectical materialism in the process of observing things, studying problems, and solving problems, grasping the laws of development of things in the unity of opposites, and preventing one-sidedness and extremism. In the New Era, ideological and political education meets people's growing, diverse, and multi-level needs for a better spiritual and cultural life. It requires both in-depth research on the specific content and evaluation criteria of ideological and political morality in the New Era, and careful analysis of the specific demands and actual conditions of people's ideological and political morality in the New Era. In the combination of these two aspects, it explores strategies for improving the goals, content, methods, environment, and personnel teams of ideological and political education in the New Era, thereby providing theoretical guidance for promoting the resolution of contradictions in ideological and political education.

二是以辩证思维推动矛盾化解。辩证思维是一种分析矛盾和解决矛盾的方式方法，思想政治教育矛盾研究提高辩证思维能力，就是在观察事物、研究问题和解决问题的过程中要运用辩证唯物主义的思维方式，在对立统一中把握事物的发展规律，防止片面化和极端化。新时代思想政治教育满足人们日益增长的多样性、多层次的美好精神生活需要，既需要对新时代思想政治品德的具体内容与评价标准进行深入研究，又需要对新时代人们思想政治品德的具体诉求与实际状况进行认真分析，在两个方面的结合之中探讨新时代思想政治教育的目标、内容、方法、环境、人员队伍等方面的改进策略，从而为推动解决思想政治教育矛盾提供理论指导。

Third, resolve specific contradictions with practical innovation. As ideological and political work increasingly runs through the entire process of Party building and national governance, the practical soil for research on contradictions in ideological and political education is also becoming thicker. At the same time, with the increasingly widespread application of modern information technology in ideological and political work, the technical capacity for research on contradictions in ideological and political education is also becoming stronger. In this context, future research should further extend to grassroots ideological and political work. On the one hand, it should strengthen the summarization of experience and theoretical elevation of grassroots practical innovation, continuously enriching the research on ideas, methods, and countermeasures for resolving contradictions in ideological and political education. On the other hand, it should strengthen research on the "old problems" and "new problems" faced in grassroots practical work, especially research on how to apply new technical theories and methods to continuously enhance the capacity and vitality of grassroots practical innovation, thereby making research on contradictions in ideological and political education more grounded and more connected to reality.

三是以实践创新解决具体矛盾。随着思想政治工作日益贯穿于党的建设和国家治理的始终，思想政治教育矛盾研究的实践土壤也越来越厚实。与此同时，随着现代信息技术在思想政治工作中的日益广泛运用，思想政治教育矛盾研究的技术能力也越来越强大。在此背景下，未来的研究要进一步向基层思想政治工作延伸，一方面加强对基层实践创新的经验总结和理论提升，不断丰富思想政治教育矛盾解决的思路、方法和对策研究；另一方面加强对基层实践工作存在的“老问题”和面临的“新问题”的研究，特别是加强对如何运用新的技术理论与方法、不断增强基层实践创新的能力和活力的研究，从而使思想政治教育矛盾研究更具底气和更接地气。

(Author bios: Hu Rui, doctoral candidate at the School of Marxism, Central China Normal University; Bi Hongmei, professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Marxism, Central China Normal University)

（作者简介：胡锐，华中师范大学马克思主义学院博士研究生；毕红梅，华中师范大学马克思主义学院教授、博士生导师）

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心