China behind the Media
What does China look like behind the dominant media images? In this seminar, scholars who have spent years studying China’s political system and society debate the most important current developments. The seminar is free of charge.
Copyright Airborne.
In Western media China increasingly comes across as an ever more authoritarian state. At the same time, the country is taking the responsibility to help address climate change and global poverty. We hear that China is a global economic miracle, as well as a potential threat to democracy. In this publicly open seminar, some of the world’s foremost experts on Chinese society, politics and environment discuss what China looks like behind the media images.
Organized in three panels, scholars will debate short and long term developments in the political system, which global ambitions the Communist Party is cultivating, the human rights situation in Xinjiang, feminist activism, and how the government and the public are responding to environmental degradation and climate change.
The seminar is organized by the research project Airborne at the University of Oslo (UiO). It is aimed at a general audience with an interest in understanding China better.
The seminar will be conducted in English. It will not be streamed.
Panels and contributors
Panel 1 – Chinese Politics Today: Ambivalent Ambitions?
Anna L. Ahlers, University of Oslo (moderator)
Jo Inge Bekkevold, Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies
Thomas Heberer, University of Duisburg-Essen
Agnieszka Joniak-Lüthi, University of Zurich
Panel 2 – Climate and Environment: Is China the Problem and the Solution?
Rune Svarverud, University of Oslo (moderator)
May Tan-Mullins, University of Nottingham, Ningbo
Jan Ivar Korsbakken, CICERO
Hans Henrik Moe, University of Oslo
Hedda Flatø, University of Oslo
Edwin Schmitt, University of Oslo
Panel 3 – Human Rights, Minorites, Media and Gender Debates: Where is Chinese Society Heading?
Mette Halskov Hansen, University of Oslo (moderator)
Elisabeth L. Engebretsen, University of Stavanger
Eva Pils, King’s College London
Adrian Zenz, AWM Korntal
Fangfang Gao, Zhejiang University
Programme
| 10:00-10:30 | Coffee / tea | |
| 10:30-10:40 |
Welcome Introduction to the seminar and presentation of the Airborne project |
Project manager Mette Halskov Hansen, UiO |
| 10:40-12:00 | Panel 1 – Chinese Politics Today: Ambivalent Ambitions? |
Anna L. Ahlers, UiO (moderator) Jo Inge Bekkevold, Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies Thomas Heberer, University of Duisburg-Essen Agnieszka Joniak-Lüthi, University of Zurich |
| 12:00-13:00 | Break | |
| 13:00-13:30 | Coffee / tea | |
| 13:30-14:45 | Panel 2 – Climate and Environment: Is China the Problem and the Solution? |
Rune Svarverud, UiO (moderator) May Tan-Mullins, University of Nottingham, Ningbo Jan Ivar Korsbakken, CICERO Hans Henrik Moe, UiO Hedda Flatø, UiO Edwin Schmitt, UiO |
| 14:45-15:00 | Break |
|
| 15:00-16:15 | Panel 3 – Human Rights, Minorities, Media and Gender Debates: Where is Chinese Society Heading? |
Mette Halskov Hansen, UiO (moderator) Elisabeth L. Engebretsen, University of Stavanger Eva Pils, King’s College London Adrian Zenz, AWM Korntal Fangfang Gao, Zhejiang University |