Journal of China in Global and Comparative Perspectives

Abstract: Dr Shuo Yu’s seminal paper, which was published by JCGCP (1, 2015), for the first time, proposes a ‘transcultural’ approach to comparative cultural and social studies from a uniquely fresh theoretical perspective, with a broad scope and well-grounded historical materials. However, it might be inappropriate to translate the word ‘transcultural’ as kua wenhua (literally 跨 文化 – ‘cross-cultural’ in Chinese), since it narrows, and even misunderstands, the meaning the author would like to deliver from the context. It would highlight its methodological significance if it were to be translated as ‘transcultural’. This essay first defines the above-mentioned terms and common use of the transcultural approach, reviewing the creativity in Yu’s transcultural approach, and then tries to distinguish the respective differences between multidisciplinary and multicultural studies, interdisciplinary and intercultural studies, cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural studies, and finally transdisciplinary and transcultural studies, and concludes by considering the features and nature of the transcultural approach, along with brief comments on Dr Yu’s approach in this regard.