Chapter 328 327【Tutor】

Columbia University's majors in education, journalism, art, international affairs, etc. are very good, especially its School of Journalism, which is awarded the Pulitzer Prize in the United States.

But when it comes to history majors, Columbia University is really not enough.

The so-called history academic exchange seminar was held in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of Columbia University, and all history professors and lecturers from the whole school participated.

Led by a history assistant, Zhou Hexuan walked into the conference room with a smile. Everyone in the meeting stood up and applauded warmly to welcome him.

It is normal to be treated like this.

Zhou Hexuan is known as a top historian in Britain and France, where the academic level of history is extremely terrifying. And Columbia University's history major is already weak, which is equivalent to a second-rate master in the rivers and lakes. Can you not be excited to accept the martial arts advice of Wang Chongyang and Huang Yaoshi?

Before the meeting, the teaching assistant introduced Zhou Hexuan one by one: "Mr. Zhou, this is Professor Stein, who is very proficient in the study of American history. This is Professor Woodrow, who has unique insights into the history of North American aborigines. This is Professor Wilson, he is an expert in the field of European history. This is..."

Zhou Hexuan greeted everyone with a smile, and then said: "Hello everyone, I am very glad to be invited by Columbia University to come here to communicate with fellow historians. Since this is an academic exchange seminar, let's discuss cutting-edge topics in the field of historical research .”

Professor Wilson asked: "Is it the new historiography proposed by the European Annals School?"

"It's not, it's about human civilization," Zhou Hexuan said, "I had an exchange with Professor Toynbee from the UK, and we reached an agreement on some academic views, believing that history should be studied as a macroscopic object, while It doesn’t just stay in one nation, one country or one time period. This point of view can be seen from the papers published by Professor Toynbee, and you can also read my "Guns, Germs and Steel". Of course, this The book has not yet been published in the United States."

Professor Stein, who focuses on the study of American history, was completely confused when he heard this. He had no understanding of it, and couldn't help asking: "Mr. Zhou, can you explain it in detail?"

Zhou Hexuan said with a smile: "The basic unit for studying human history and future is civilization. According to the origin, growth, decline, and disintegration of each civilization, we can understand some common laws of different civilizations. We can compare the world's existing All civilizations are divided into more than 30 civilization forms, including seven independent civilizations and satellite civilizations subordinate to these independent civilizations. According to the common characteristics of these civilizations, they can be summarized into three main civilization models, namely the Greek civilization model, That is, the model of cultural unity and political division; the Chinese model, that is, the grand unification model that is dominated by unity and mixed with division; the Jewish model, that is, a recognizable unified culture, but a discrete model that has no political entity.”

The history professors and lecturers present here thought carefully after hearing these words, and found that these three civilization models really sum up all civilizations in the world.

"This is a very creative point of view." Professor Woodrow nodded in approval.

Zhou Hexuan continued: "Professor Toynbee and I both believe that the rise of civilization has nothing to do with the superiority or inferiority of race. Although the current Western civilization is powerful, European and American whites are not more noble than African blacks. The most important thing depends on the environment in which civilization arises. .However, on this point, I disagree with Professor Toynbee. He believes that the more difficult the environment, the more sparks of civilization can be tempered. Every time a difficulty is overcome, this civilization will move forward. Part of me I agree with his point of view, but I think there should be prerequisites, such as climate and geographical environment. It is impossible to develop advanced civilizations in the Arctic Circle. Europe and Asia can give birth to splendid civilizations, but the prerequisite is that the latitude climate is suitable for agricultural development , and has domesticable animals and plants."

Woodrow, an expert on Native Americans, asked: "Then why are the primitive American civilizations now dying?"

Zhou Hexuan said with a smile: "I have elaborated on this issue in the book "Guns, Bacteria, and Steel". America is a vertical continent, and changes in latitude caused huge climate differences, which made it difficult for early agriculture to develop and spread, such as corn. It took thousands of years to spread in the Americas. Today’s agriculture in California is well developed, but it relies on modern agricultural technology. A thousand years ago, with California’s natural environment, it was impossible for a strong farming civilization to arise.”

The key word "vertical continent" was uttered, coupled with Zhou Hexuan's simple explanation, Woodrow, who has been studying Native Americans all the year round, had a flash of inspiration, and couldn't help but admire: "My God, why didn't I think of this factor? This is really true. An astonishing discovery. This academic achievement alone deserves a Pulitzer Prize in History!"

The Pulitzer not only has journalism prizes, literature prizes, but also history prizes.

The winners of the journalism award are not limited by nationality, but the award-winning works must be published in American newspapers, and the literature award is only awarded to Americans. It is impossible for Zhou Hexuan to win these two awards.

Only the Pulitzer Prize in History, as long as the research object of the work is the United States, or has made a significant contribution to the study of American history, people from any country can win the award.

Professor Woodrow really did not talk nonsense, just relying on the historical perspective of "vertical continent" is enough to win the Pulitzer Prize in History, because it has a major breakthrough and inspiration for the study of American history.

And Columbia University happens to be the awarding institution of the Pulitzer Prize. As long as "Guns, Germs, and Steel" is published in the United States, next year's Pulitzer Prize in History is likely to be awarded to Zhou Hexuan.

Facing a group of not-so-top-notch historians, Zhou Hexuan's various cutting-edge historical viewpoints can be said to make them suddenly enlightened and shocked.

The entire academic exchange conference lasted for three and a half hours. At the beginning, Zhou Hexuan was mainly explaining, and later it became history professors who raised various questions, and Zhou Hexuan answered them in a few words.

This is not only the crushing of knowledge, but also the crushing of the times. Perhaps, a 21st-century high school student with a better historical record can chat and laugh happily with these historians, broadening their horizons in the field of historical research.

After the meeting, Zhou Hexuan took out the Chinese version of "Guns, Bacteria, and Steel" with a smile, and said, "I will present this book to the School of Arts and Sciences of Columbia University. You can ask someone to translate it into English."

The teaching assistant carefully put away the book and looked at Zhou Hexuan with respect in his eyes.

The historians stood up one after another, and came to shake hands with Zhou Hexuan, as if they were looking for his autograph enthusiastically.

Facts have proved that it was a very wise decision for President Butler to invite Zhou Hexuan as a visiting professor at Columbia University. Columbia University, which was originally an unremarkable history major, has rapidly improved its academic achievements because it took the lead in in-depth exchanges with Zhou Hexuan.

Half a year later, "Guns, Germs, and Steel" was translated and published, and Columbia University became the first American university to offer "Historical Anthropology". Professors Stein and Woodrow, who were only proficient in American history and Native American history, later became experts in historical anthropology and are well-known in the field of world history research.

In particular, Professor Woodrow told reporters in an interview in his later years: "The turning point of my academic career originated from an exchange with Mr. Zhou Hexuan. He broadened my horizons in historical research, and he can be called my mentor. "

The morning is an academic exchange meeting, and the afternoon is a lecture activity for all students of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

What made Zhou Hexuan dumbfounded was that many students majoring in finance and economics came to attend the class, and they all came here admiring the name of "Wizard of the Far East".

In the free questioning session, the students asked questions about the stock market crash and economic crisis, and some even asked for advice on how to short US stocks.

A good history lecture was messed up by these finance students, which caused great dissatisfaction among the history students, and the two sides quarreled in the classroom.

That afternoon, Zhou Hexuan left under Professor Butler's persuasion, and boarded a ship bound for Europe the next day.

What Zhou Hexuan didn't know was that the news that he was shortlisted for the Nobel Prize for Literature and the Goncourt Prize for Literature at the same time was being widely reported by Chinese newspapers, and the country had already been bombarded.