The Hong Kong Crisis

Book presentation by Jeffrey Wasserstrom and roundtable discussion with Didi Kirsten Tatlow and Klaus Mühlhahn, moderated by Michael Zürn.

Date: Wednesday, April 1, 2020, 6 p.m.,

Location: WZB, room: A 300, Reichpietschufer 50, 10785 Berlin-Tiergarten, www.wzb.eu

Jeffrey Wasserstrom, one of America’s leading China specialists, will present his new book “VIGIL: Hong Kong on the Brink”, followed by a roundtable discussion on the latest developments in Hong Kong. Having visited the city regularly since 1987, Wasserstrom draws 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 focus on patterns of protest and the tightening of political controls in Hong Kong during the last few decades, paying particular attention to the 2014 Umbrella Movement and the dramatic events of 2019, including the most recent June 4th anniversary vigil.

Jeffrey Wasserstrom is Chancellor’s Professor of History at the University of California, Irvine. Among his previous books are China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know (co-authored by Maura Elizabeth Cunningham) and Eight Juxtapositions: China through Imperfect Analogies from Mark Twain to Manchukuo.

Discussants:

Klaus Mühlhahn, Professor in China Studies at the Freie Universität Berlin (FU), Deputy Director of the Graduate School for East Asian Studies and Vice-President of the FU. He has published widely on modern Chinese History (18th to 20th century), and is a frequent commentator on China for the German media.

Didi Kirsten Tatlow, Senior Fellow at the Asia Program of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGPAP) in Berlin, and Senior Non-Resident Fellow at Sinopsis in Prague. A veteran reporter and columnist who has worked for e.g. the New York Times, she has won many prizes for her reporting on the politics, culture, and political culture of China.

Moderated by:

Michael Zürn, Director of the research unit Global Governance at WZB Berlin Social Science Center and Professor of International Relations at the Free University of Berlin. His main research focus is the emergence and functioning of inter- and supranational institutions and the normative tensions and political conflicts that these developments unfold.

WZB is barrier-free: event location is wheelchair-accessible. If you need support, please e-mail: veranstaltungen@wzb.eu