Professor Martin Albrow Visits SIS

On October 19, 2023, Professor Martin Albrow, now a fellow of the Academy of Social Science in the UK, Honorary Vice-President of the British Sociological Association and Honorary President of Global China Academy visited SIS and delivered a lecture, chaired by Dr. Wu Di, titled “The Decline of the West”.

Professor Martin first shared his early experience of conducting research in China as the head of a population research project and then talked about globalization. He pointed out the connections and changes between the era of increasing globalization and the era of modernization emphasizing progress. The tension between discourse and reality is discussed with examples, and the importance of the concept of 'global society' is illustrated. Finally, he stressed that we must discuss the decline of the West from the perspective of the rise of global society, the relationship between the East and the West as well as the operation of the world.

At the end of the speech, students engaged in a lively interaction with Professor Albrow on North vs South issues, East vs West issues, and the concept of globalization.