Xu Youyu (1947-) is a philosopher and writer. Born in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, Xu was in his high school graduating class when the Cultural Revolution broke out in 1966. He joined one of the most influential student rebel organizations in Chengdu at that time, later became one of its key members. After the Cultural Revolution, Xu was admitted to the Mathematics Department of Sichuan Normal University in 1977. In 1979, he was admitted to the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), where he received his master's degree and worked as a researcher at the Institute of Philosophy of the CASS until his retirement in 2008, during which time he visited and taught at the University of Oxford, Harvard University , the Academia Sinica in Taiwan, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Stockholm University, the School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences in France, and Hokkaido University.
Xu Youyu's initial field of study was the philosophy of language, but after the June 4 uprising in 1989 he switched to contemporary Western political philosophy, contemporary Chinese social thought, and the Cultural Revolution. He began publishing a number of books on these topics.
Xu Youyu drafted and, along with other scholars, submitted a petition to the central government calling for the release of democracy activist Wei Jingsheng in 1988, participated in the June 4 protests in 1989, and signed Charter 08 in 2008. In June 2010, Xu participated in the release of the open letter “The Citizens’ Pledge”, and was one of the founders of what would later become the New Citizens Movement. In May 2014, Xu was detained for his participation in a conference about the June 4 uprising, released on June 5 the same year. In 2014, Xu was awarded the Swedish Olof Palme Prize for his commitment to democracy and freedom of speech. In 2015, Xu moved to the United States, where he is currently a scholar-in-residence at the New School in New York.
Xu Youyu's initial field of study was the philosophy of language, but after the June 4 uprising in 1989 he switched to contemporary Western political philosophy, contemporary Chinese social thought, and the Cultural Revolution. He began publishing a number of books on these topics.
Xu Youyu drafted and, along with other scholars, submitted a petition to the central government calling for the release of democracy activist Wei Jingsheng in 1988, participated in the June 4 protests in 1989, and signed Charter 08 in 2008. In June 2010, Xu participated in the release of the open letter “The Citizens’ Pledge”, and was one of the founders of what would later become the New Citizens Movement. In May 2014, Xu was detained for his participation in a conference about the June 4 uprising, released on June 5 the same year. In 2014, Xu was awarded the Swedish Olof Palme Prize for his commitment to democracy and freedom of speech. In 2015, Xu moved to the United States, where he is currently a scholar-in-residence at the New School in New York.
