Soft Power and the Worldwide Promotion of Chinese Language Learning: The Confucius Institute Project (Multilingual Matters)

Jeffrey Gil

ISBN 10: 1783098058 / ISBN 13: 9781783098057

Published by Multilingual Matters, 2017

About this Item

Hardcover, xiv + 130 pages, NOT ex-library. Gently bumped upper outer corners (short edge-nicks on the tips of upper outer corners of the boards). Book is clean and bright throughout with unmarked text, free of inscriptions and stamps, firmly bound. Issued without a dust jacket. -- Contents: Tables; Conventions for Chinese Terms and Chinese Names; 1. Introduction: Language, Culture and China's Rise in a Globalising World [Introduction; Chinese Language and Culture in the World: Brief Historical Background; Chinese Culture as a Source of Soft Power; Language Planning and Policy in World Politics: External Language Spread; Confucius Institute Project (Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms; Volunteer teachers and state-sponsored teachers; Chinese Bridge competitions); A Framework for Mapping and Evaluating the Confucius Institute Project; Mapping the Confucius Institute Project (Organisational documents; Media reports; Academic literature; Interviews and survey); Evaluating the Confucius Institute Project]; 2. Chinese Culture Goes Global: Soft Power and the Promotion of Chinese Language Learning [Introduction; Soft Power in Contemporary World Politics; Reasons for China's Interest in Soft Power (Soft power as a requirement for great power status; Soft power as the main arena of competition in world politics; Interest of other East Asian countries in soft power; Similarities of soft power to past practices in China's world politics and principles in Chinese thought; Soft power as necessary for the domestic legitimacy of the CCP; Soft power to counter the 'China threat' theory); China's View of Soft Power (Scope and applications of soft power; Sources of soft power; Centrality of culture to soft power); Role of Chinese Language Learning; Confucius Institute Project: Origins and Background; Conclusion]; 3. Mapping the Confucius Institute Project: High Extensity, Intensity and Velocity [Introduction; Extensity; Intensity; Velocity; Comparisons of Extensity, Intensity and Velocity; Reasons for High Extensity, Intensity and Velocity; Conclusion]; 4. Evaluating the Confucius Institute Project: Impact at the State-to-State Level [Introduction; State-to-State Level; Recent Trends in China's Relations with Countries with Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms (China's relations: with the USA & with Japan & with Australia); Influence on Other Countries' Language and Culture Promotion Activities; Reasons for Limited Impact at the State-to-State Level (Nature of language and culture as sources of soft power in world politics; Governments' concerns about the Confucius Institute project); Conclusion]; 5. Evaluating the Confucius Institute Project: Impact at the Society-to-Society Level [Introduction; Society-to-Society Level; Chinese Language Teaching and Learning; Attitudes Towards and Perceptions of China (China and world opinion polls; Views from the interviews and survey); Chinese Culture and China as a Country; Societal Reactions as Impediments to the Confucius Institute Project (Concerns of universities and academics; Concerns of the media; Concerns of the general public); Considering Concerns about the Confucius Institute Project; Consequences of Concerns about the Confucius Institute Project; Practical and Organisational Issues as Impediments to the Confucius Institute Project (Relationship between Confucius Institutes/Confucius Classrooms and existing Chinese departments and programmes; Quality of teaching staff; Sustainability); Dealing with Practical and Organisational Issues; Conclusion]; 6. Conclusions and Implications [Introduction; Confucius Institute Project: A Diffused Global Project Implications (Implications for China; Implications for schools and universities; Implications for governments; Implications for researchers); Final Remarks]; References [Interviews]; Index.

Seller Inventory # 008361

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Soft Power and the Worldwide Promotion of Chinese Language Learning: The Confucius Institute Project (Multilingual Matters)
• Publisher: Multilingual Matters
• Publication Date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1783098058
• ISBN 13: 9781783098057
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Good+

About this title

Synopsis

‘The Confucius Institute Project’ – consisting of Confucius Institutes and Classrooms, the posting of Chinese language teachers to overseas schools and universities and the Chinese Bridge language competition – represents an attempt by China to extend its influence globally through the use of soft power. Facilitated by a rapidly increasing demand for Chinese language learning, it has established a presence across the globe and made valuable contributions to the learning and teaching of Chinese. However, this has not necessarily led to an increasingly positive view of China, either at a political or a societal level. Through an analysis of official documents, interviews with those involved, a survey of Chinese-language learners and a study of academic and media sources, the author evaluates the aims of the project, and discusses whether these aims are being met.

About the Author

Jeffrey Gil is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Languages and Applied Linguistics, Flinders University, Australia. His research interests include Chinese foreign policy and Chinese as a foreign language.