Department of Political Science
About This Event
This illustrated talk will focus on patterns of protest and the tightening of political controls in Hong Kong during the last few decades. It will pay particular attention to the 2014 Umbrella Movement and the dramatic events of June through December of 2019, including two large protests that the speaker was in Hong Kong to witness. The presenter, who has been visiting Hong Kong regularly since 1987, will draw on his work as a specialist in the history of anti-authoritarian movements in various parts of the world and his work on global cities of Asia. The presentation will showcase ideas in his new short book Vigil: Hong Kong on the Brink (Columbia Global Reports, 2020).
About the Speaker
Dr. Jeffery Wasserstrom is Chancellor's Professor of History at UC Irvine, where he also holds a courtesy appointment in the School of Law. A former editor of the Journal of Asian Studies and the Historical Writing Mentor for UCI's Literary Journalism Program, his most recent books are Vigil: Hong Kong on the Brink (Columbia Global Reports 2020), Eight Juxtapositions: China through Imperfect Analogies from Mark Twain to Manchukuo (Penguin 2016) and the co-authored third edition of China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford 2018). In addition to writing for scholarly periodicals, he is a regular contributor to newspapers (e.g. The New York Times, The Financial Times), magazines (e.g., The Atlantic), and literary reviews (e.g, The TLS).
Accommodations for our Guests with Disabilities
Communication services (sign language, interpreters, notetakers, real-time captionists or assistive listening devices) are available for this event. Requests for services must be submitted at least five (5) working days in advance.