兩年前的意大利之旅，令人畢生難忘。
第一站就是水都威尼斯。那時候是聖誕節，下著冷冷的細雨，天氣出奇的潮濕而寒冷。
當時就想，如果是夏天的話就好了。
那麼，這個文藝復興的重鎮，絲綢之路的終點（起點）之一的威尼斯，究竟跟中日關係有何瓜葛？
原來，在明年（2008年）的暑假，7月21日到8月1日之間（北京奧運之前），位於威尼斯的佛斯卡里大學（Foscari University of Venice）將會是一個學習中日文化交流的地方。
那裡將舉辦日本漢文研究的講座。到時候，三位精通漢文（Kanbun）的日本專家會講述西方大學研究生學習漢文的方法，同時也教授漢文訓讀（古時日本人發明了一種用日語文法閱讀文言文的方法，日本人稱此閱讀漢文方法為訓讀，kundoku），以及漢文對日本文學發展的影響。
這個課程是由日本慶應大學（Keio University），美國哥倫比亞大學（Columbia University）和意大利佛斯卡里大學贊助。每年輪流在自己的學校舉辦。明年是第三屆了，如果我沒有猜錯的話，應該是第一次在佛斯卡里舉辦吧。
學費全免，每人須自己付旅費和酒店費用。而且只接受20名學員（主要對象是教授，研究生和圖書館員）。當然，要讀這個課程，先得懂日語（和英語？）。
其實，漢學在日本文化中起了極為重要的作用。很多人研究當代中日關係，沒能把一些問題放在更大的文化框架中分析，因此得出的結論往往過於武斷和偏激。
雖然在比較中日兩國文化時，萬萬不能用「同文同種」這種籠統的框框去審視，但我們也絕對不可忽略兩個文化匯聚交流的地帶。
日本人學習漢文的經驗，是研究中日關係學者很值得注意的地方。
只是，一些人往往用「現代化理論」的觀點去研究中日關係，認為現代以前的事物跟現代化以後的中日關係毫無關聯。
其實，用這種狹隘視野去理解中日關係，是一種忽略中日關係深層結構的做法。
下面是課程的詳細內容和章程﹕
Invitation to Third Sino-Japanese Studies Summer Course 2008 in Venice
*****************************************************************
From: Wiebke Denecke
Invitation to the Third Kangaku Summer Course
Sino-Japanese Education: Past, Present, Future
at Foscari University of Venice (Italy)
(Columbia-Keio-Venice Consortium)
Graduate students, faculty, and library professionals are invited to participate in a twelve-day Summer Course on Sino-Japanese Studies to be held at Foscari University of Venice (Italy) from July 21st to August 1st 2008. The course will focus on the history and materials of traditional kanbun education and their impact on Japanese culture.
To connect traditional practice to modern kanbun education, there will be two mini-workshops at the end of the summer course: the first mini-workshop is devoted to discussing methods and materials of kanbun education at Western universities. At a second mini-workshop participants will explore the impact of the traditional kanbun curriculum on Japanese literature through texts of their own interest and expertise.
The Summer Course will be co-taught by Professors Sato Michio (Keio University), Horikawa Takashi (Tsurumi University), and Sumiyoshi Tomohiko (Shido bunko Institute, Keio University). Lectures will be accompanied by afternoon classes that include reading of primers such as the Mengqiu or the Wakan roeishu and practical training in kanbun kundoku.
This course is part of a consortium between Columbia University/Barnard, Keio University and University of Venice/Italy, which take turns in hosting annual Kangaku Summer Courses.
Although there is no tuition for the course, participants will have to pay for their travel and for their housing. Depending on demand, a group rate at a nearby hotel can be arranged for our participants.
Please send application materials in English or Japanese (For students: CV, transcript, brief statement of purpose explaining previous work and current interest in the field. For all others: CV, brief statement of purpose) to the address below by March 15 2008. Space restrictions force us to limit the course to 20 participants.
Professor Aldo TOLLINI
Foscari University of Venice
Department of East Asian Studies
Palazzo Vendramin
Dorsoduro 3462
30123 Venezia
ITALY
Mail: tollini@unive.it
