Mittwoch
12
OKT

20.00 Uhr

Finissage: Red and Expert – Negotiating Academic Freedom in China

• Prof. Dr. Barbara Mittler, Heidelberg University, Chinese Cultural Studies • Lennart Riedel, Heidelberg University, Chinese Cultural Studies, Curator

In 1957, Mao Zedong proclaimed his new requirement for Communist Party cadres: everyone should be ‘red and expert,’ that is, politically loyal and professionally competent. Within the same year, the concept was applied to the education sector. Ever since, Chinese students and academics had to negotiate their academic freedom – which can sometimes be a professional necessity – against the demanded political loyalty. However, the 65-year-long tug of war between ‘red’ and ‘expert’ has seen many ideological redefinitions of what it means to be loyal to the Communist Party. Deng Xiaoping, the strategic mind behind the Reform-and-Opening Policy, brought about the most significant change in 1978, when he stated that any expert is ‘red’ by nature, because they help advance the country by means of their scientific work. Subsequently, the number of propaganda classes for students and the ideological requirements for academics were notably decreased. But in recent years German media, politicians, and scholars as well as Chinese netizens have become concerned about new crackdowns on academic freedom under Xi Jinping. Might bloggers on the Chinese platform Weibo be correct in assuming the return of Mao’s restrictive policies for intellectuals?

Join us for an evening of art, music, and thought-provoking talks to find out! On Wednesday, October 12, at 8 pm, we celebrate the end of the ongoing CATS Library exhibition ‘Red and Expert – Negotiating Academic Freedom in China’ with a Finissage, made possible with the kind support of the Confucius Institute Heidelberg. We will hear remarks by Barbara Mittler, Professor for Chinese Cultural Studies, on the art of propaganda, and a talk by Lennart Riedel, curator of the exhibition, on the evolution of academic freedom in the People’s Republic of China. In between, musician Liao Tzu-Ning will perform Erhu compositions from different time periods that echo the political developments of the past 65 years. Afterwards, you will have time to explore the exhibition by yourself while enjoying a glass of Champaign at the closing reception.

Adresse

Centre for Asian and Transcultural Studies (CATS)

CATS Library, Building 4110

Voßstraße 2

69115 Heidelberg

Veranstalter

Centre for Asian and Transcultural Studies (CATS)

Homepage Veranstalter

https://www.cats.uni-heidelberg.de

Kontakt

Lennart Riedel