On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Marx's birth in 2018, the School of Marxism at Nanjing University, under the guidance of the university, began to organize and implement the first phase of "Continuing Along the Footsteps of Marx", an international scientific investigation and research training program on ideological and political education for undergraduates. The first international investigation tour was jointly organized by the School of Marxism, the University of Münster in Germany (WWU), and the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam. The delegation of students and faculty visited Marxist-related research and public institutions, including the University of Münster, the Engels House Museum, and the International Institute of Social History in cities of Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The seven-day investigative tour garnered significant attention and coverage from authoritative media such as Xinhua News Agency and China Youth Daily, resulting in substantial positive feedback from society.
A statue of Marx in Marx's former residence
PhD students from the University of Munster communicate with students from the research team
Photo taken at Bonn University
The project was successfully implemented again in 2019 with a significant increase in duration, spatial span, and number of participants. The school jointly organized that year's scientific investigation program with WWU and the Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) in the United Kingdom. The participants toured a dozen cities across Germany, Belgium, and the UK. Along the way, they visited severable notable locations including WWU, the Karl Marx House Museum, Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, University of Bonn, Ruhr Museum in Essen, Tomb of Marx in London, People's History Museum in Manchester, Cheatham Library, CCCU, and Marx Memorial Library in London. The program was the subject of a special report by Qunzhong (Masses) magazine in Jiangsu province, garnering positive social feedback and widespread attention.
Dr. Eisenilner explains the Ruhr Museum
The Rosa Luxembourg Foundation event in Berlin
Professor David Bates gives an academic presentation
Dr. Herez is introducing the history and current situation of MEGA 2
Sean Syers, a famous Marx expert in Canterbury, communicated with his classmates
The Manchester Museum of Science and Industry
The project was the only representative of international scientific investigation programs a the university's practical teaching reporting conference in 2019. The instructor received the Outstanding Instructor for Off-Campus Practical Teaching award for exceptional accomplishments during the same year. The project was suspended for two years, starting from 2021 until 2022, due to the outbreak of the epidemic.
The program was resumed in 2022 with the support of the university through cloud-based scientific investigation and research training, in collaboration with the University of Münster in Germany. Five foreign experts and scholars, along with four domestic scholars, were invited to provide guidance and exchange ideas with students on topics such as the life and thoughts of Marx and Engels and the contemporary study of Marxism. In addition to fully utilizing the existing online digital resources for scientific investigation and research, the project also innovatively explores the design of an international cloud-based scientific investigation digital learning platform named "Continuing Along the Footsteps of Marx". This platform intends to provide robust support for future international cloud-based scientific investigation and ideological and political education.
Teachers and students of the research team took a group photo with the statue of Marx in Trier