Student Movements, 1968: In Industrialized Countries and in China

A Public Talk by Professor Xu Youyu

Thursday, September 29, 2016 – 4:00-6:00 PM

80 Fifth Ave, Room 529, The New School

This year is the 50th anniversary of the Cultural Revolution in China. To mark this extraordinary period in Chinese history, the India China Institute has organized several events that examine the revolution’s significance and its lasting impact on China and the world. The events will feature leading scholars on the subject, some of whom experienced the revolution firsthand.

Seminar Series:

Reflections of the Cultural Revolution is a seminar series with Xu Youyu, a Professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Science and a current Scholar in Resident at The New School. The cultural revolution was full of violence and suppression, and continues to be shrouded in conspiracy. This seminar series is comprised of four parts, with each part focusing on a different theme, and attempts to address some of the crucial questions concerning the movement. Professor Xu will deal with key controversies surrounding each theme and develop his own positions.

Xu Youyu was a teenager in the Red Guard at the time of the Chinese Revolution and witnessed the Tiananmen Square protest of 1989. As a pro-democracy activist, Xu was one of the most prominent signatories of the 2008 Charter 08 manifesto, which demanded political and humanitarian reforms in China.

This is the third lecture in this series with Professor Xu. This seminar will explore Mao’s motives in launching the Cultural Revolution. Was the movement a political purge under the disguise of anti-revisionism? Was it a fight for social ideals, or simply a power struggle?

To RSVP for the event click here.