The Twenty-First Century: The New Contemporary?

The Twenty-First Century: The New Contemporary?

What does it mean to engage with literary studies in the broadest sense in the twenty-first century? On the twentieth and twenty-first days of the fifth month in the twenty-third year of this century, twelve esteemed scholars convened at National Taiwan University for a symposium to examine the paradigm-shifting implications of the new century—or the potential absence thereof—from the vantage points of literary studies, critical theory, art criticism, and political discourse, among other disciplines. This feature topic represents the first part of the symposium’s article collection, where three scholars undertake theoretical explorations through the analysis of various works produced in the past two decades.