Is the Dialogue of Cultures a Contemporary Myth?

Abstract

“Intercultural dialogue,” notably between China and the West, seems to have replaced the vogue of comparatism in academic guidelines, and warrants the best of intentions to leave Eurocentrism behind us. This paper, however, critically addresses a certain type of comparatism which still remains part of an Orientalist perspective, since it often continues to treat China as the radical “Other” with which to be compared, so as to make it respond to totally irrelevant questionings. This is a way of stubbornly maintaining the idea of otherness, which freezes oppositions outside of time and space and does not allow one to detect the plurality and diversity of real differences. An unfortunate consequence of this is the constant risk of falling into some type of essentialism, and to end up, albeit non-intentionally, reinforcing diehard preconceived ideas. It is therefore high time that we should try and reach beyond our deeply ingrained Orientalistic frame of mind.