This talk offers a new interpretation of popular protests in Hong Kong since 1997, when Britain handed its sovereignty over the territory to China. While most academic and journalistic accounts call these movements for democracy and freedom, Lee argues that the totality of people’s demands and aspirations over two decades actually amounted to a decolonization struggle against the legacies and realities of British and Chinese colonialisms. A central question this talk addresses is: How and why did ordinary citizens transform themselves from complacent colonized subjects to rebellious agents of history?

Speaker:
Ching Kwan Lee, Professor of Sociology, UCLA

Moderator:
Victor Shih, Director, 21st Century China Center; Professor and Ho Miu Lam Chair in China and Pacific Relations, UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy

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This public lecture is organized by the 21st Century China Center (21CCC) at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy. For more information about this and other 21CCC events, please visit china.ucsd.edu.