The Art and Politics of East Asia workshop presents:
Andrew Kipnis
Senior Fellow, Anthropology, Australian National University
“Constructing Commonality: Standardization and Modernization in Chinese Nation-Building”
ABSTRACT: This essay examines the importance of Chinese nation-building in the contemporary era. Defining nation-building in terms of processes that help to bridge local differences especially but not only when also distinguishing China from the rest the world, I argue that a focus on globalization has masked the importance of Chinese nation-building to contemporary social change. I analyze three very different societal arenas in which national forms of commonality are being constructed: the consolidation of the education system, the expansion of the urban built environment and the spread of the Chinese internet. Though each arena illustrates a very different aspect of the nation-building process, they all result in an increased degree of commonality in lived experience and communicative practice across China.
Friday, November 11th,
3:00-5:00pm
Judd Hall, Room 313
5835 S. Kimbark Ave. Chicago, IL 60637
This workshop is sponsored by the Center for East Asian Studies and the Council on Advanced Studies in the Humanities. Persons who believe they may need assistance to participate fully, please contact the coordinator (Daniel Johnson) in advance at: djohn at uchicago.edu
