Recently, the latest research paper by Professor Li Changzhong from our university's SSchool of Literature, Journalism & Communication, titled "Oral Traditions, Hybrid Texts, and Re-examining Ethnic Literary Criticism", was published in Issue 6, 2025 ofSocial Sciences in China, garnering widespread academic attention.

Journal Cover, Picture Source: School of Literature, Journalism and Communication

Building upon Professor Li's long-standing research on "the relationship between orality and writing," this paper provides a comprehensive analysis of oral traditions' function and academic significance in ethnic literary criticism. It not only elucidates new phenomena but also proposes innovative methodologies and perspectives, opening new avenues for ethnic literary criticism. The article emphasizes the intrinsic connection between ethnic literature and oral traditions, arguing that the resulting "hybrid texts" should form the foundation of ethnic literary criticism. This approach liberates the field from its dependence on writer-literature criticism paradigms and the hierarchical "orality/writing" dichotomy, establishing a new oral-dimension-based critical methodology. Professor Li's framework advances a grand literary vision characterized by "top-down/bottom-up coordination and internal/external integration" while practically exploring the genealogical relationship between folk literature and ethnic literature, offering a localized pathway for Chinese ethnic literature's global dissemination.

With over a decade of dedication to ethnic literary theory and criticism, Professor Li has focused on the inter-embeddedness of China's multi-ethnic literatures and civilizations. His four national-level research projects (including one key project) and serial publications consistently examine the relationship between ethnic literary criticism and reinforcing the consciousness of the Chinese nation as a community. This paper represents both a summation of his research experience and a theoretical advancement. Its cutting-edge theories and methodological leadership mark a new stage for Professor Li and his team in ethnic literary criticism, constituting an active exploration toward establishing a "Chinese School" of ethnic literary criticism.