Newsletter No. 452

8 452 • 4.2.2015 本刊由香港中文大學資訊處出版，每月出版兩期。截稿日期及稿例載於 www.iso.cuhk.edu.hk/chinese/newsletter/ 。 The CUHK Newsletter is published by the Information Services Office, CUHK, on a fortnightly basis. Submission guidelines and deadlines can be found at www.iso.cuhk.edu.hk/english/newsletter/ . 社會科學院院長 趙志裕教授 Prof. Chiu Chi-yue Dean of Social Science 出任社會科學院院長有甚麼大計？ 長遠目標是讓學院成為不同學派、有志奠立和發展一門綜合 社會科學的環球人才的首選學府，以及成為社科學生的學術 搖籃。 我們致力啟蒙與啟迪，嚴謹治學，致力創造可傳達、創新、貼 近社會的知識，提升個人和社會福祉的知識，授諸四海皆可 的知識，以及輔助政策制定、轉化社會的知識。 是甚麼令中大社會科學院有別於香港其他同類學院？你 會怎樣承襲這些優勢？ 和本地同儕相比，中大社會科學院擁有最多的社科研究員和 教師，學者的基礎學科背景多元（經濟、地理、心理、社會學 及政治學），專業百花齊放（建築、新聞及社工）。我為學院 深厚的人文傳統和國際視野感到自豪，正如林語堂一副對聯 所言：「雙腳踏東西文化，一心評宇宙文章。」我們會承繼着 光輝傳統前行，透過跨學科、多層次研究，解構複雜的社會 現象。 可以透露一二嗎？ 學院好幾個精彩項目正在開花結果。其中有一隊研究員正在 綜合地理、經濟、心理、建築和新聞學科的意念，集思廣益， 設計未來城市，不僅要效率更高、環境更綠化，還要更加以人 為本。還有一些項目處於萌芽階段，包括為提高環球意識和 多元文化素養而設的跨學科教研項目。 宗教文化差異往往會釀成暴力與悲劇。社會科學教育如 何利於理解別的文化？ 文化必定有異。處理得宜的話，文化差異能促進跨文化學習， 催生新思想，激發創新和文化變革。處理不當的話，差異就會 加劇文化之間的衝突、仇視甚至恐怖主義。社會學家費孝通 設想的和諧社會是「各美其美，美人之美，美美與共，天下大 同」。要實現這遠景，社會科學研究和教育能發揮很大功用。 你在南洋理工大學（南大）有哪些經驗可以帶來中大？ 南大是亞洲快速崛起的大學，教授相對年輕和精力充沛，主 張大學漸進式改革。我欣賞南大躋身世界級大學的堅定決 心，佩服他們依靠硬數據指導政策和決策。而中大的優勢是 其傳統和豐富的經驗和智慧，決策過程民主且以教授為中 心。大學之間總有可供借鑑之處的。 在外國進修和教學多年後回到香港，感覺如何？ 我在回歸五年後的2002年離港，之前在香港大學教書，太太 則在科技大學，我倆都有研究九七前後香港人的身分認同， 察覺到香港人對中國人身分的認同感越來越強。我去年回 港，正值佔中運動如火如荼。社科教研對香港未來的價值不 容低估。 你為何會讀心理學？美國和亞洲在心理學的實踐和教學 上可有文化差異？ 我年輕時曾想當小說家。當時導師說，好作家需要了解人。在 讀了 弗洛伊德 和 勞倫斯 的著作後，我被心理學深深吸引。我 現時從事的心理學是個嚴肅科學，但我仍是個文學迷，偶爾 會寫寫詩。 西方心理學源自哲學，為哲學基本問題尋求科學答案，例如： 甚麽是人類意識的本質？肉體和心靈有甚麽關係？還有人類 社會性由甚麽構成？亞洲心理學較注重解決實際問題，很多 亞洲學生都關注心理學在臨床、教育和商業環境的實際應 用。 觀看錄像，請掃描QR碼或瀏覽以下網址： To watch the video, please scan the QR code or visit: www.iso.cuhk.edu.hk/video/?nsl452-chiu-chi-yue What plans do y ou have for the Faculty of Social Science? Our long-term goals are for the Faculty to be a top choice for global talent from diverse intellectual traditions who aspire to seed and grow an integrated social science, and to be a nurturing academic community for social science students. We strive to enlighten and inspire. We strive to create social knowledge that is communicable, innovative, rigorous and socially relevant; knowledge that improves the well-being of the individual and that of society; knowledge that will be taught globally; and knowledge that will inform policies and transform societies. What distinguishes this Faculty from other social science faculties in Hong Kong and how could you build on that? Among our local peers, CUHK’s Social Science Faculty is home to the biggest number of devoted social science researchers and educators, featuring scholars from diverse basic disciplines (economics, geography, psychology, sociology, and political science) and professions (architecture, journalism, and social work). I am proud of our strong humanist tradition and our global perspectives, which remind me of a couplet written by Lin Yutang: ‘ 雙腳踏東西文化，一心評宇宙文章 ’ (be well-versed in Asian and Western cultures; be conversant with the great writings of the world). We will move forward with this glorious tradition to decipher complex social phenomena through cross-disciplinary, multi-level research. Any projects you could share with us? Many exciting projects are flowering and blossoming in the Faculty. For example, a team of researchers are putting together ideas from geography, economics, psychology, architecture and journalism to design future cities that are not only more efficient, greener but also more humanized. Other projects are at the seeding stage, including cross- disciplinary teaching and research programmes designed to promote global awareness and multicultural competence. Religio-cultural differences sometimes express themselves in tragic forms. How could education in the social sciences contribute to an understanding of other cultures? Cultures differ. Cultural differences, if managed properly, can motivate intercultural learning, inspire ideas, and lead to innovation and cultural change. If managed badly, cultural differences can fuel intercultural conflicts, animosity and even terrorism. Sociologist Fei Xiaotong envisioned that harmonious societies will develop if social groups are empowered to develop its unique strengths, and to appreciate and harmonize the unique strengths of all groups for the society’s well-being ( 各美其美，美人之美， 美美與共，天下大同 ). Social science research and education can make important contributions to this vision. What have you learnt at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore that you could bring to CUHK? NTU is a rapidly rising university in Asia. It has relatively young and highly energetic professors who champion progressive reforms in the University. I admire NTU’s unwavering determination to turn itself into a world-class university. I am impressed by their reliance on hard data to inform policies and decision-making. At CUHK, we benefit from our tradition and a wealth of experience and wisdom. Our decision-making process is democratic and centred on the professoriate staff. There is always something universities can learn from each other. How do you feel about returning to Hong Kong after spending a considerable length of time overseas studying and teaching? I left Hong Kong in 2002, five years after the handover. Prior to my departure, I taught at HKU and my wife at UST. We studied Hong Kong’s social identities before and after 1997 and observed increasingly stronger identification with being Chinese during the transition. I returned last year, only to find Hong Kong in the middle of the Occupy Central Movement. The value of social science education and research cannot be overstated for the future of Hong Kong. Why did you take up psychology? Have you observed any cultural differences in the discipline as practised or taught in the US and in Asia? I wanted to be a novelist when I was young. Then I learned from my mentor that a good writer needs to understand people. After reading the works of Freud and D.H. Lawrence , I was attracted to psychology. The psychology I practise now is a serious science, but I am still a literature fan and an occasional poet. Psychology in the West grew out from philosophy and seeks to offer scientific answers to foundational problems in philosophy, such as ‘What is the nature of human consciousness?’, ‘What is the relationship between body and mind?’, and ‘What constitutes human sociality?’ Psychology in Asia is more concerned with solving practical problems, and many Asian students are curious about the practical applications of psychology in clinical, educational and business settings. Photo by ISO staff