On the morning of April 17, the23rd installment of “Global Education Perspectives” lecture series, hosted by the Faculty of Education, was held in Conference Room 325 of the National Academy of Sciences. Professor Lucy Chan, associate dean of the School of educational history and culture, Beijing Normal University Department of Education, was invited to give a lecture on “Fundamental issues in the history of education”. Professor Hu Lifang, DeputyDean of the Facultyof Education, attended the lecture, which was chaired by Associate Professor Ye Yangyong.

First, Professor Lucy Chen beganwithconceptualclarification, addressing the questions of what constitutes history and what constitutes the history of education. She noted that history was not a purely objective existence but rather a record and understanding of the past by people. The era of unconscious historical writing has come to an end; historians need to reconstruct the thoughts and motives of those in the past based on intellectual activity, thereby highlighting the 'event' as a characteristic of human 'action,' thus endowing history with its 'real' meaning. The history of education involves researchers constructing and interpreting the history of education based on educational materials. The purpose and mission of research in the history of education is to interpret educational history as closely as possible to the historical facts of education.

Subsequently, professor Lucy Chen introduced the issues of time and space in the history of education.In the temporal dimension of history, fixed time units can lead to a fragmentation of history. The chronological sequence inherent to the subject of study is of greater importance. Ultimately, researchers need to align with the historical phases and connect the external time of history with its internal time. The spatial aspect in history is also not static; the same location can correspond to different spatial extents at various historical stages

Subsequently, Professor Lucy Chen discussed the concepts of time and space within the history of education. Regarding the temporal aspect of history, the use of rigid time units can lead to a disjointed view of history. It is more critical to consider the inherent temporal sequence of the subject under study. Ultimately, researchers should respect the phased nature of history and connect the external timeline with the internal chronology of events. The spatial dimension in history is also not fixed; a single geographical reference can correspond to different spatial scopes at various historical stages.

During the Q&Asession, Professor LucyChen engaged in an in-depth discussion with faculty and students on topics such as the relationship between agricultural societies and the formation of states, and the accuracy of the four-stage theory of historical development.

Finally, ProfessorLucyChen used the study of early American history as a starting point to elucidate how to learn about and research the history of education, as well as the significance of 'context' in the study of educational history. Researchers need to possess an awareness of 'historical semantics,' which means paying attention to the diachronic changes in language and its meanings when interpreting historical materials. When discussing issues, one should be cautious about using concepts that emerged later to discuss the past, and it is important to value the way people spoke at the time and what they specifically referred to. A comparative and corroborative approach should be taken towards the different usages of a word within the same period.

After the lecture, Professor Li-fang Hu and Associate Professor Ye Yangyong presented the lecture certificate to Professor Chen and took a group photo.