Guest Editor's Introduction

As China emerges from its Maoist isolationism and rapidly integrates into the global capitalist market, it is no longer possible to preserve the rigid boundaries between these sides — a theorist with international standing can no longer grasp today's world while closing his (or her) eyes to China; a Chinese scholar can no longer take refuge in the mystery of oriental culture, because intensified globalization has made the distinction between East and West almost irrelevant. This special issue can be considered a collective experiment from both sides, an experiment that embraces the gradual disappearance of these boundaries. On the one hand, Žižek analyzes contemporary Chinese culture and politics from the perspective of a Marxist-Lacanian theorist. On the other hand, the contributors from China studies examine the Chinese intelligentsia's fascination with Žižek's work and how it may open different horizons to Chinese cultural studies in the era of global capitalism. I hope that this collective experiment into each other's territory will break ground for similar dialogues in the future, as such mutual experiments enrich our critical perspectives in an increasingly globalized world.