One of the most striking phenomena in the first half of the 20th century was the influx of Chinese intellectuals into America to receive Western education. Studies in the past, however, often depicted the history of American-educated Chinese students simply as the history of Chinese students returning from America. For a long time the foreign exposure and experience of the Chinese intellectuals did not draw enough attention from the academia. If we agree that one of the valuable contributions that the West can make to China was the spiritual values in Western civilization, the encounter between the intellectuals and the Christian idealism would probably be a very important issue. It is not the purpose of this research to re-write the history of American-returned students in any depth. The author would like to focus on a group of "China's American-educated youths" who has encountered modern Christianity. Although they were not all followers or baptized Christians, they adhered to the principles of Christianity as the highest standard for measuring the changing circumstances in China and in the world. / To unite the Chinese Christians in the United States, the Chinese Students' Christian Association in North America was founded in 1909 by a group of Chinese Christian students. The objective of the Association was similar to the Young Men's Christian Association. Through a case study of the Chinese Students' Christian Association in North America, the author attempts to depict the spiritual feature of the American-educated Chinese students as a single group. This dissertation argues that they intentionally chose the social gospel, which adopted the Kingdom of God as the key concept, in the quest fort he modern religious belief. By making critical assessment and judgment on the non-Christian order in the society, political arena and the internationals cene, they longed for the realization of the earthly democratic kingdom which suited to the home country and the world. Disappointed in politics, the China's American-educated youths did not turn into mere spectators. The Christian idealism made them profoundly aware of the sociopolitical realm of China and the world. This thirst for a Kingdom of God became the driving force for the continuous development of the students' Christian movement. / 梁冠霆. / Adviser: Tze-Ming Ng. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-06, Section: A, page: 2073. / Thesis (doctoral)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 159-167). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / School code: 1307. / Liang Guanting.

Ma thèse se concentre sur la question de la transformation de la pratique du banquet classique face, d’une part, à la nouvelle situation sociopolitique découlant de l’installation des royaumes dits successeurs et de la dissolution des structures politiques classiques ;et d’autre part, face à l’intensification de ce que l’on appelle communément la « christianisation » du monde romain. Mes recherches concernent le monde romain occidental (Gaule, Italie et Espagne) à partir du moment où le discours ascétique oriental se diffuse massivement en occident dans la seconde moitié du IVe siècle, mettant fin à ce que Robert Markus appelle le « christianisme antique ». La question principale de ma thèse concerne le discours chrétien et ascétique qui porte sur les questions alimentaires et les réponses données par les groupes sociaux dont l’usage du banquet classique est suffisamment documenté. En l’occurrence les aristocrates (en ce compris les évêques), les communautés cénobitiques et le mouvement anachorétique. La seconde question abordée dans mes recherches est celle posée par la présence « barbare » et l’image du mangeur barbare en ces siècles de transition socioculturelle. Le terminus ante quem de mes recherches se situe à la fin du VIe siècle, en un monde romain désormais indubitablement transformé.<p><p><p> <p>La mia tesi si incentra sulla questione della trasformazione della pratica classica del banchetto nel confronto, da una parte con la nuova situazione sociale e politica dovuta all’insediamento dei regni post-romani, e, dall’altra, con l’intensificazione della cosiddetta “cristianizzazione” del mondo romano. La tesi riguarda lo spazio romano occidentale (cioè Gallia, Italia, Spagna) a partire dal momento in cui si diffonde la grande moda dell’ascetismo orientale dalla seconda metà del IV secolo. La questione principale della tesi, che occupa i capitoli tre e quattro, riguarda il discorso cristiano e ascetico sull’alimentazione e poi le risposte date dai gruppi sociali il cui uso del banchetto è documentato a sufficienza, in fatti specie gli aristocratici, il mondo monastico, e gli eremiti. I due primi capitoli riguardano, rispettivamente, la pratica del banchetto classico nella tarda antichità e la questione della presenza “barbara” e dell’immagine del mangiatore barbaro in quei secoli. La conclusione della tesi si colloca alla fine del VI secolo, in un momento in cui il mondo romano è indubbiamente trasformato.<p><p><p>My doctoral thesis concentrates on the question of the transformation of the classical banquet through the encounter with, on the one hand, the new sociopolitical situation due to the migration and installation of the new successor kingdoms ;and on the other hand, with the intensification of the Christianization of the Roman world. My research focuses on the Western Roman world (Gaul, Italy and Spain) from the moment in which the eastern ascetic discourse spreads widely in the West in the second half of the 4th century, causing what Robert Markus calls “The end of Ancient Christianity”. The main question of my thesis regards the Christian and ascetic discourse on food practices and the answers given by the social groups who’s uses of the banquet is documented enough. In this case, the aristocrats (within which the bishops), the monastic communities and the hermits. The second question taken into consideration in my thesis is the one presented by the “barbarian” presence and the literary image of the barbarian eater in these centuries of socio cultural transformation. The terminus ante quem of my research is placed at the end of the 6th century, in a undoubtly transformed Roman world. / Doctorat en Histoire, art et archéologie / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished