The Departments of Film and Media, English, East Asian Studies, European Languages and Studies and
the Center for Asian Studies present

This lecture will consider the character of China’s new media landscape and its relationship with the West during the current transitional period of its history. Professor Zhou will focus specifically on China’s recent moves to restrict the dissemination of “Western values,” suggesting that they are both a remnant of the 20th century imaginary line between West and East and a symptom of a new worldwide global fragmentation. Within this global media context, China is anxious to present to the world an alternative path, and this interest has led to a new rehearsal of the “contest” in China between the Left and the Right, and between nationalism and cosmopolitanism. She argues, however, that in this new age of the anthropocene and climate change, it may be necessary to develop ways to traverse different media ecologies from the perspective of the broader ecological crises that have already become the basis of 21st century wars.

There will be commentary by Jeff Wasserstrom (History) and Jim Steintrager (English).