Wang Hui (intellectual) - Controversies - Allegations of Plagiarism

Allegations of Plagiarism

Professor Wang Binbin, a professor of literature from Nanjing University, accused Wang Hui of plagiarism, citing what he deemed to be improper use of footnote protocols and incorrectly cited passages in Wang’s doctoral dissertation on Lu Xun 《反抗绝望》 (Against Despair). Wang Binbin's accusation was first published on an academic journal, and reappeared on Southern Weekly on March 25, 2010. Professor Wang Binbin further suggested that Wang Hui in his The Rise of Modern Chinese Thought may have used R. G. Collingwood's canonical book, The Idea of History, with or without proper citations.

Apart from Wang Binbin's findings, an analysis of Wang Hui's weak use of footnotes by Xiang Yihua, a researcher with the Zhejiang Academy of Social Sciences, revealed other sections incorporating sources without citation. He also published a review of Wang Hui's essay 《“赛先生”在中国的命运》 (English translation: "The Fate of 'Mr. Science' in China"), questioning the originality of his research.

Online commentators found some paragraphs in Against Despair to be copied verbatim from other sources. Authors such as M. B. Khrapchenko and F. C. Copleston were used without acknowledgment to either the original works or their translations.

The scholarly community are concerned over the plagiarism accusations. Prof. Lin Yu-sheng (Emeritus, University of Wisconsin-Madison) agrees that some of plagiarism charges are sustained, which is concurred by Prof. Yu Ying-shih. An open letter signed by more than 60 scholars called for Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Tsinghua University to investigate into the plagiarism case.

Some international scholars and weblog authors have come to Wang's defense, noting that this is mostly a case of sloppy citation practice, not actual plagiarism. A letter signed by 96 scholars addressing to the authority of Tsinghua University endorsing Wang Hui's scholarly integrity was made public on 9 July. Most of the passages highlighted by Wang Binbin did actually have citations to the original works, asking readers to "consult" those works. It is argued that there is no attempt by Wang Hui to hide the sources of the sections in question, even if the citations were at times nonstandard.