FGS, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2026, pp.109-120.
Print ISSN: 3106-5503; Online ISSN: 3106-5511
Journal homepage: https://www.fgsjournal.com
DOI：https://doi.org/10.64058/fgs260111morss
The Mirror of the Other and the Reconstruction of the Self—
With Special Reference to The Study on the Image of Confucius in the French-Speaking World
Li Weirong
Abstract: The Study on the Image of Confucius in the French-Speaking World stands out as the first academic monograph in China to systematically investigate the historical evolution of Confucius’s image within the French-speaking world. Employing the theoretical framework of comparative literary imagology and spanning a historical depth of over four centuries, the book conducts a comprehensive review of French-language literature from 1688 to the present. It delineates the transformation of Confucius’s image from a “philosopher” to an “Enlightenment idol” and subsequently to a “secular sage.” This paper argues that the book’s primary contribution lies in its fundamental shift in research perspective: rather than inquiring into the “authenticity” of Confucius in the French-speaking context, it explores how this “Other” image reflects the cultural psychology and power dynamics of the French-speaking world itself. Through a methodological commitment to a “gazer-centric” approach, it not only fills a significant gap in the study of Confucius’s overseas image within the French-speaking sphere but also offers profound theoretical reflections on China’s strategy of cultural “going global.”
Keywords: The Study on the Image of Confucius in the French-Speaking World; comparative literary imagology; French-speaking World; images of Confucius
Author Biography: Li Weirong works as Professor of Dept. of History, Yuelu Academy, Hunan University. He also works as Professor at the Collaborative Innovation Platform for the “Project on the Inheritance and Development of Ancient Chinese Scripts and Chinese Civilization”. He was a former Senior Visiting Scholar at the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University. His research focuses on the history of Chinese thought, Sinology, and the culture of Hunan. E-mail: leewrcn@163.com.
标题：他者的镜像与自我的重构——以《法语世界的孔子形象研究》为中心
摘要：《法语世界的孔子形象研究》是国内首部系统考察法语世界孔子形象流变的学术专著。该书以比较文学形象学为理论框架，跨越四个多世纪的历史纵深，通过对1688年至今法语文献的全面梳理，呈现了孔子从“哲学家”到“启蒙偶像”再到“世俗智者”的形象嬗变。该著的最大贡献在于实现了研究视角的根本转换：不再追问法语世界的孔子是否“真实”，而是探究这一“他者”形象如何折射法语世界自身的文化心理与权力诉求。通过“注视者中心论”的方法论自觉，该著不仅填补了孔子海外形象研究的法语世界空白，更对中国文化“走出去”战略提供了深刻的学理反思。
关键词：《法语世界的孔子形象研究》；比较文学形象学；法语世界；孔子形象
作者简介：李伟荣，湖南大学岳麓书院教授，“古文字与中华文明传承发展工程”协同攻关创新平台成员，曾任哈佛大学东亚系高级访问学者，研究方向：中国思想史、国际汉学和湖湘文化研究，电邮：leewrcn@163.com。
Received: 10 Apr 2026 / Revised: 25 Apr 2026 / Accepted: 26 Apr 2026 / Published online: 30 Apr 2026 / Print published: 30 May 2026.
