Sinological Conferences
The Junior Sinologues
In 1948, discontented with the stuffy atmosphere at the International Congress of Orientalists, and concerned to establish relations with Eastern European scholars in the hard years following WW2, a young group, in which Yves Hervouet, figured prominently set out to create a differently oriented conference series. This was at first called the Junior Sinologues. It offered a pleasant, relaxed, and fruitful venue for younger scholars making or strengthening their acquaintance with the larger Sinological world. 18 people figure in a group photo taken at the first meeting in Cambridge, but the roster quickly grew, until some 500 persons planned to attend the abortive Prague 1968 meeting. The inclusion of Eastern European colleagues was by and large successful, but as will be seen from the two cancellations below, it did not prove possible to establish a geographical reciprocity.
- I (1948) Cambridge, London, and Oxford
- II (1949) Leiden
- Recollection by Fritz Mote
- III (1950) London
- IV (1951) Paris
- V (1952) Cologne (Köln-Wahn)
- VI (1953) Rome
- VII (1954) Durham
- VIII (1955) Leiden (Oud-Poelgeest)
- IX (1956) Paris
- (1957) Marburg
- XI (1958) Padua and Venice
- XII (1959) Cambridge
- ... (1960) Moscow [cancelled]
- XIII (1961) Hamburg
- XIV (1962) Breukelen-Nijenrode
- XV (1963) Torino
- XVI (1964) Bourdeaux
- XVII (1965) Leeds
- XVIII (1966) Copenhagen-Humblebaek
- XIX (1967) Bochum
- XX (1968) Prague [cancelled]
"On August 22, 1968, the 20th Conference of Chinese Studies (former Junior Sinologues) should have opened in Prague. On August 21, the soldiers of five Eastern European countries led by the "invincible" Soviet Army invaded Czechosolvakia. The conference, which should have been devoted to the 50th anniversary of the May Fourth Movement, and at which nearly 500 Sinologists wanted to participate, was cancelled." [from Marián Gálik, Jaroslav Prusek: A Myth and Reality As Seen By His Pupil, Asian and African Studies v7 (1998) #2 p159]
- XXI (1969) Senegallia / Marcerata
- XXII (1970) Stockholm
- XXIII (1971) Oxford
- XXIV (1972) Leiden (Noordwijkerhout)
The Junior Sinologues series itself faltered eventually. After a gap of several years, it was transformed, again with Yves Hervouet as a guiding spirit, into a successor series sponsored by a new association, EACS.
Basic information on this page is from Thomas Kampen's list at the EACS site. Photos are included courtesy of EACS. Assistance in identifying the individuals pictured in them will be much appreciated, and any results will be shared with EACS.
11 June 2004 / Contact The Project / Exit to Sinology Page
