The Politics of Imagining Asia: Wang Hui

Columbia University's Lydia H. Liu will discuss Wang Hui's "The Politics of Imagining Asia" in New York City.

In this bold, provocative collection of essays, now appearing in English, Chinese intellectual Wang Hui (China's New Order and The End of Revolution) confronts some of the major issues concerning modern China and the status quo of contemporary Chinese thought.

The book's overarching theme is the possibility of an alternative modernity that does not rely on imported conceptions of Chinese history and its legacy. Drawing on China's unique past to show the inadequacies of Euro-centric standards for interpreting and assessing modern China's evolution, his stance is critical — and often controversial — but he locates hope in the kinds of complex, multifaceted arrangements that defined China and much of Asia for centuries. The goal of The Politics of Imagining Asia extends beyond China and Asia to an ambition to rethink world history as a whole. In conversation with Lydia H. Liu, Columbia University.

Can't make it to this program? Tune in to the free live video webcast on AsiaSociety.org/Live from 6:30 to 8:00 pm ET. Online viewers are encouraged to submit their questions to moderator@asiasociety.org during the webcast.