UH Chinese Studies member Dusica Ristivojevic
Two members of our Chinese studies, Julie Yu-Wen Chen and Dusica Ristivojevic will present in an upcoming seminar on “China and Colonialism” organized by Historians Without Borders (HWB) and the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA).
Colonialism is a term attributed to China more often when discussing international affairs. Historically, China suffered from western colonialism for a lengthy period that left significant marks on the country economically, socially and culturally. Currently, as the geopolitical power balance has made a shift from the west towards the east, China has become an important actor globally. The country’s policies, such as the Belt and Road Initiative including its investments in key positions of infrastructure worldwide and especially in the global south raise a new set of questions: has China built a web of political dependencies through its economic investments? Could and should China’s policies be described as colonialism, and are they any different compared to western colonial activities? How should we relate and respond to China’s expansionist efforts?
PROGRAM
9:30 INTRODUCING HISTORIANS WITHOUT BORDERS AND THE EVENT’S THEME
- Dr Erkki Tuomioja
9:45 DECONSTRUCTING “CHINESE NEOCOLONIALISM”: ATTITUDES AND ACTUALITIES
- Professor Li Xing, Aalborg University
10:15 CHINA’S NEO-COLONIAL PRESENCE IN EUROPE? REFLECTING FROM EUROPE’S EASTERN PERIPHERY
- Dr Dušica Ristivojević, Visiting Scholar at the University of Helsinki and Research Fellow at Central European Institute of Asian Studies
10:45 INTRODUCTION TO THE PANEL DISCUSSION
- Professor Julie Yu-wen Chen, University of Helsinki
11:00 PANEL DISCUSSION
- Professor Li Xing
- Dr Dušica Ristivojević
- Professor Julie Yu-wen Chen
Chair: Dr Jyrki Kallio, Senior Research Fellow at the FIIA
The seminar is held in English. Tea and coffee will be served at 9:00 am onwards.
To register to the event, please contact Historians without Borders (see here).