Known for being a pioneer in the launch of a newsletter on China in Portuguese, the Shūmiàn platform has just published a guide for Brazilian beginners in the field of sinology.
With 44 pages and the participation of 13 Brazilian sinologists, the guide travels through various themes in the world of China’s study, from basic book suggestions to sub-themes such as philosophy, religiosity, culture, economy, environment and international relations. In this last theme, there are cuts for Sino-Brazilian and African relations. The organizers also nominate films in each section.
Creator of the guide, co-founder and masters in Contemporary Chinese Studies at the Popular University Júlia Oliveira Rosa says that the guide began to be designed by the team – currently with nine volunteers – since the last quarter of 2020.
“We started because there is a gap in the basis of the study of sinology in Brazil. Today, we already have a lot of qualified people in the region, but there is an urgent need to train more staff, and our universities do not cover much of China. With this guide, we also try to help those who are self-taught and always ask our team for book and documentary recommendations, ”says Rosa.
Initially, the team intended to release the compilation as early as last year. But as the work progressed, the ambition to make it more comprehensive also grew.
“We are very concerned about diversity issues and we try to avoid the standard profile of the Brazilian academy, which is predominantly male and white. In addition, we have made an effort to map teachers outside of the South-South-East axis, ”he says.
The result, explains the sinologist, must be seen as a work in progress. Shūmian hopes to update the guide every year, always with the most current topics in China. For the next edition, says Julia, the proposal is to add topics on Chinese domestic politics, gender issues, technology and law.
The guide can be downloaded for free from this link.