Since there have been many theories about this incident, such as "conspiracy theory", "corruption theory" and "inexplicable theory", I will add a "model theory" to you here, which means "an aunt who talks nonsense". However, this is only my family's opinion, and I have never asked any involved parties for verification. If someone asks me to "take legal responsibility", I will never agree. Bitter gourd studio
There are six key links in the "Wang Mingming Incident":
1, Wang Mingming became famous and made enemies; 2. Wang Mingming copied this book; 3. Wang contributed; 4. Media hype; 5. School response; 6, everyone comments. Every link can see the wonderful performance of the second performer, a "life show" with real swords and guns. Listen to me.
One by one.
[The first link: Wang Mingming became famous and made enemies]
Wang Mingming is 40 years old this year. To put it bluntly, Wang was 25 years old and went to the UK with a scholarship at the postgraduate stage, and then got a doctorate in the UK to conduct postdoctoral research in the UK (another way of saying it is that Edinburgh and Chengda brands are floating in Peking University). After Wang returned to China, he not only had a hard foreign degree in his major, but also brought back a bunch of bright foreign titles (too many, so I won't quote them). At the age of 32, Wang entered the Sociology Department of Peking University led by Fei Xiaotong, and rose from associate professor and professor to qualified doctoral supervisor (with China characteristics). Many scholars have been pursuing this title all their lives, and it took him only eight years to get it all.
This unprecedented rising speed, for Wang personally, is a bit like overdrawing his life; For students who advocate authority, it is a sign of the birth of new idols; For some people in the industry, this is a disturbing hidden danger. Bitter gourd studio
It happened that Wang was young and energetic and had been abroad for a long time. He doesn't know the rules of China's academic circles, and he doesn't know that the more knowledgeable people are, the more moderate they should be. He thought that with his own ambition, he could "turn a deaf ear to things outside the window." Therefore, the concepts of "relationship" and "human feelings" in China's society are so vivid in his works, but they are stretched in his application.
It happened that Wang's foundation of Chinese studies was not so solid, and his knowledge itself was not beyond reproach. On the contrary, people are seriously injured from time to time. These serious injuries were seen by others and stabbed twice at a time, but they didn't do anything to him; The king himself saw it, but he was unable to cure it. Fortunately, the foundation is thick, and it will not hurt the bones for a while. Bitter gourd studio
[The second link: Wang Mingming copied the book]
Please pay attention to the following time points: haviland's Contemporary Anthropology was translated and published in 1987, Imagined Foreign Countries was published in 1998, Imagined Foreign Countries was read for the first time in July 2006, and Doctoral Dissertation Plagiarism of Peking University was published in July 2006.
The interval between these five events is: 1 1 year -3 years -6 months -4 days. What we are going to discuss in this section is: 1 1 year.
Why did Wang Mingming copy books? As far as I'm concerned, there are several possible situations:
First, "I translated Hargreaves' book. Who doesn't know that serious translation has the translator's own thoughts in it? 1 1 years ago, I was not mature academically, and I didn't think clearly about some problems myself. I have learned a lot now. Looking back at what I said in those years, there are many things to discuss. I might as well count my own thoughts and publish them. Even if someone scolds you for cooking cold rice, it's no big deal. Many professors make a living by frying themselves and others' cold meals all their lives, but they are still successful? "
Second, "domestic colleagues have never seen the world, and they are eager for foreign academic achievements and don't understand. Besides, haviland's book has been published 1 1 year. No matter how many people know it, it's better to give him a new book. On the one hand, it's a redo of Shao Jie's works, on the other hand, it's also one of my own advantages. As for the author's original name, original work and copyright, alas, forgive my vanity and forget it. " Bitter gourd studio
Third, "I copied many articles from the world. I am an academic star. So many people look at me and want to publish a few books a year. Where can I get them? I have to copy them. Aren't all the textbooks in China's academic circles copied from foreign countries-why can't others copy them? "
[The third link: contributed by Wang]
In this lesson, we will discuss: 3 years and 6 months.
Wang Mingming has copied this book for three years. There were also academic arguments during the period, but it did not cause substantial harm to Wang. As an interviewed scholar said: "For a long time, there have been many criticisms of Wang Mingming in academic circles, but these have not stopped his rapid promotion." Unexpectedly, three years later, the old story was turned out by others and found out page by page. At this time, Wang Mingming should say like Hao Ge in "The True Color of Heroes": Sir, I have washed my hands of it. "I won't be the boss for long."
Wang "found the problem" in July 20001year, and then "spent a month in succession, and the two books stood there comparing page by page." "In the process of checking, I used' Wenquxing' to check." (quoted from Beijing Youth Daily in June 65438+1October 65438+August)
It took nearly half a year from "finding problems", "verifying problems" to "exposing contributions". What happened in the meantime? Bitter gourd studio
The following story is quoted from the news of Jiangnan Times (0 1. 14, 3rd edition, 2002) reprinted by Sohu. Reporter Ma Lina:
"Wang's article was directed by a teacher" (single quotation marks were added by the author), which was voted in the social science newspaper. Xu Ming, president of the newspaper, attached great importance to it and immediately sent someone to Beijing to learn about the situation. He also handed this article to Professor Cao of Fudan University. On one occasion, Professor Cao casually wrote an article criticizing the academic style, and the two professors had a pen war. Two graduate students from Fudan University found Contemporary Anthropology (Chinese translation) and Imagined Foreign Countries, and looked them up many times.
"Before the publication of the article" How not to be disappointed by the plagiarism of doctoral tutors in Peking University ",it was circulated among a small group of people, but no one called Professor Wang Mingming to ask him about the alleged plagiarism of foreign textbooks, and no one informed Peking University of the situation." Yang Yusheng, an associate professor in the history department of Beijing Normal University, learned about it a week ago and read this article. An associate professor lives in a community with a professor. He also has the phone number of Professor Wang, but he keeps it a secret. Associate Professor Yang Yusheng explained to the reporter: "Because China's personal accident is very complicated, this is a normal academic criticism, but if more people know about it, this article may be stillborn." Bitter gourd studio
"Before this academic review was published, Professor Wang Mingming vaguely knew about it." (End of quotation)
What role did Wang play in this long half year? Why did he finally expose Wang Mingming's plagiarism? Here are a few guesses for everyone:
First, Wang is a pure academic youth, who has long hated all kinds of ugly phenomena within the academic community and is willing to shoulder the moral burden. Wang Mingming copied the book in black and white, and the evidence is conclusive. Wang was "very angry" about this and planned to make it public in order to "cause academic rectification" and "attract the attention of relevant departments and establish relevant academic anti-counterfeiting mechanisms". At the same time, because of his purity, he doesn't know that anything will deviate from his original intention after being amplified by the media, and he can't control it himself. So, "I really want to apologize to Miss Wang".
Second, Wang is a speculator. As we all know, the shortcut for a scholar to become famous is swearing. Lu Xun and Li Ao are both successful examples. Wang also wants to find a chance to curse, but unfortunately there has never been an object that can be angered enough to be moved and weighed. Wang Mingming's "Tree" is very popular, and it is also controversial in academic circles. He has such a big handle in his own hands, and more importantly, he doesn't have to worry about the impact this will have on his academic career. "Because we don't belong to the same field after all, we won't be directly opposed." It is conceivable that one month in the midsummer season, "page by page comparison", using "Wenquxing" to check, what kind of tenacity is needed, what kind of schadenfreude and exultation. By the way, how to check two articles with Wenquxing? If it's not a secret. )
Third, Wang is a gun in the academic factional struggle. Wang Mingming has made enemies for a long time. No matter inside or outside Peking University, I'm afraid there are many people who want to see his bad luck, but they can't stop him. This time, you can seize the opportunity. "You are not a cow? See if I don't kill you this time. " This time, the evidence is so rich that it is enough to give him a fatal blow, and some students dare to stand up. Isn't this great? Therefore, after the incident, Wang himself "felt the pressure", but someone got a big bargain in vain.
Finally, I would like to summarize this meeting with the following questions:
After Wang found out that he plagiarized books, he had four possible choices (endless welcome additions):
A. directly question Wang Mingming himself;
B. report to "interested parties";
C. contribute to academic media;
D. contribute to the mass media.
As we all know, Wang chose C. What does this mean? Bitter gourd studio
[The fourth link: media hype]
We will discuss the following two links: 4 days.
Wang said: "Before this happened, some students and teachers told me that if this matter was disclosed, it would have a great impact, so forget it. But I think this is what I should do. "
Wang said so and did the same. The media took action, happy, and then hot.
In fact, there are two stages of media hype, first in academic journals and then spread to the mass media. It spread so fast that it became a national event within four days. This does not rule out the possibility that someone deliberately leaked it. Do you know what Shanghai Social Science Daily is saying? Bitter gourd studio
"Social Science News" received the manuscript "very seriously, immediately sent people to Beijing to understand the situation, and also handed the article to Professor Cao of Fudan University." (Note: Professor Cao and Professor Wang "fought a pen war for a while". This incident has also attracted the attention of the president of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. At first, the president hesitated. Finally, he proposed that this kind of academic criticism must be published by Journal of Social Sciences to avoid speculation and maintain the seriousness of academic criticism. "
"We are not grandstanding or hype. Everything we reveal is not aimed at one person, but at the phenomenon itself. " "Now the corruption in academic circles, like the black whistle in football matches, has reached the point where it must be completely corrected! ..... We do this because we want to have such a group of people and such a position to raise the flag. " The editor of the social science journal told the reporter excitedly. "Regarding the exposure and criticism of academic corruption, we will continue to do it for a long time and launch it in stages. But we will make it public after complete and detailed verification. " "We have other heavy things in our hands." Bitter gourd studio
These words convey some information: plagiarism belongs to academic corruption, which is a common phenomenon in domestic academic circles, but someone came out and broke this enough paper. The Wang Mingming incident is just the tip of the iceberg exposed by academic corruption. As a result, a vigorous paper poking movement is about to begin.
I agree that there is corruption in domestic academic circles, just as there is corruption in China's political and economic circles. However, how to define academic corruption? Copying books and plagiarism is academic corruption, so is it academic corruption to speculate on your own academic achievements? Is it academic corruption to form gangs and flatter each other? Is it academic corruption to write an anonymous letter to report the black? Is the party divided? Is it academic corruption to publish relationship manuscripts and personal manuscripts in academic journals? Who will be the moral judge of academic fraud? Who will supervise these moralists' own moral standards? Who can guarantee that he has no loss in virtue and can judge the merits fairly? Frankly speaking, who can prove that his paper is thick enough and strong enough? Even if it's punctured, there's nothing fishy in the house.
Let's talk about mass media. According to my inference, from academic journals to Peking University, it should be earlier than from academic journals to mass media. Because in the search for mass media reports, there has been news that Wang was "seriously dealt with". Bitter gourd studio
For the mass media, this is definitely a "good" event, which contains so many elements: Peking University, professor (doctoral tutor), plagiarism, 100,000 words. Taking out any one is enough to make people stumble, let alone being together.
The following are the headlines used by some media when reporting this matter: "Nearly 65,438+10,000 words are exactly the same" and "Why did Xiao Sheng expose the plagiarism scandal of doctoral tutors in Peking University? In order to establish an anti-counterfeiting mechanism, Wang Mingming, a professor at Peking University suspected of copying famous foreign textbooks, has been severely dealt with. Why can he continue to be promoted after being criticized for plagiarism for a long time? " , "Peking University BBS discussion is heated: the Wang Mingming incident is puzzling." ...
The media loves and respects Peking University, sometimes just like loving Peking University and respecting Professor Wang.
[The fifth link: the school's response]
One of the functions of mass media in China is to amplify an event infinitely through the reproduction and accumulation of news, thus exerting influence on the party involved. This is the most effective in protracted economic cases and legal disputes-China's suffering peasant brothers go to focus interviews, which is equivalent to suing the imperial edict. Now it turns out that it has played a role in the academic field that has always been a little professional.
As can be seen from the titles listed above, there is an appeal to Peking University to give a statement: "The doctoral tutor of Peking University has been criticized and plagiarized for a long time, why can it continue to be promoted?" If we say that in the previous debate, the school was able to turn a deaf ear out of the consideration of inclusiveness and cherish talents, but this time it shocked the public eager for the right to know, and Wang Mingming really couldn't keep it. Yuanmen can only be beheaded. Bitter gourd studio
So, "the leaders of Peking University had a serious talk with Wang Mingming, and he himself had a deeper understanding of this matter. At present, Wang Mingming's academic positions have been basically revoked, including the positions of director of the Peking University Folklore Research Center, member of the Academic Committee of the Department of Sociology of Peking University, and director of the Anthropology Teaching and Research Section of Peking University. The Department of Sociology of Peking University is going to use this as a textbook to educate all teachers on academic ethics. "
The question is, should Wang Mingming bear the consequences? If the bad influence of the book copying incident is far from "abolishing" him, then why should anyone let him bear the "punishment" beyond his "sin"? -For a scholar, the present punishment means being in limbo forever. Wang Mingming has been abolished by you. How long will it take to get back on your feet? Ten years? Twenty years? A lifetime? Can he bear such a blow himself? Can anthropologists in China afford such a loss? Why do the academic circles in China prefer a bunch of mediocre people who have made no achievements but have done nothing wrong, rather than this person who can do something wrong but is more determined to move forward? This is not the truth that can be covered up by a few understated words of "learning from a painful experience and saving lives". Bitter gourd studio
Like a man stealing twelve taels of silver from a distant relative. If a distant relative is angry, he can be beaten and scolded, or he can sue the official and let him go to prison for ten days. But before the distant relatives could react, the storyteller in the village knew about it and made it into a joke and sang it to the whole world. As a result, "people are in poverty", people who steal money are sent to Kaifeng, temporarily "severely punished", and detention becomes indefinite, thus ruining a person's life.
The Sixth Link: Comments from People
Since the incident, many scholars have been careful to show their faces, speak and express their views. This includes Ma Rong (as a department leader), Zhang Haiyang, Cao, ... About their respective views and their contacts with Wang Mingming, it is not convenient to say more here. Please check for yourself.
To sum up, there are several types of their attitudes:
1. Wang Mingming should have been severely criticized long ago. This made him commit many acts of injustice and will kill himself.
2. Wang Mingming's behavior is puzzling;
3. Wang Mingming is indeed wrong, but everything happens for a reason. He has done more for the academic community and should be protected;
4. The Wang Mingming case should be discussed within the academic scope, and whether it is right or not should be judged by the academic circles.
In addition, there are several doctoral students from Peking University Institute of Anthropology. Please check their love letters and name them yourself. Regardless of the content, I personally admire them for daring to make such a statement when the situation is obviously one-sided.
Other sayings come from American netizens hiding behind the screen name. Bitter gourd studio
[Simulation of Wang Mingming Event]
After sorting out the above six links, we can use the storytelling method (more professionally-"form") to find out the narrative "mode" from the Wang Mingming incident:
1. A person is gifted in some way;
2. Because of these talents, he was rewarded and attracted jealousy;
3. This man made a mistake;
4. Someone caught this mistake and hit him;
He was defeated (or not defeated).
This type of name is not "plagiarism by doctoral supervisor of Peking University" or "Wang Mingming incident", but "Wang Mingming". This story is distributed at home and abroad: in the United States, there is a variant called "Clinton"; In China, the earlier variant is called "Mao Amin", and the more recent variant is called "Wuzhi Yanglan". Bitter gourd studio
There is nothing new in the sun.
Finally, I want to say: there are no sages in this world. People without impurities are not real people, but how can the dirt of human nature withstand the repeated amplification of mass media? Wang Mingming, who is well versed in western languages, may not know the ancient saying of China: "He is a saint and I am a fool. What are you arguing about? " ? ! "Bitter gourd studio