The CSUSB Modern China Lecture Series began in 2014, supported by the History Department and other campus entities. In over 120 events in the past 12 years, guests from a range of disciplines and backgrounds have joined virtually and in person to share their expertise and experience with the CSUSB community.

Some details of the fall slate are still being finalized, but the topics to be explored already include alternative history on the Chinese internet, national myth-making in the political realm, Taiwanese skate and surf culture, and queer resistance in post-socialist China. Find more details about the events at the series home page, and stay informed about these upcoming events. Some previous events in the series were recorded, and those videos can be found at this YouTube page.

Series organizer, Professor Jeremy Murray (CSUSB History) noted that understanding the complex world of US-China relations amidst rapid change in both countries requires long conversations: “This series has been going on for 12 years, and I’ve been studying China for 30 years. I feel like this is merely a good start in a lifelong course of study. The rapid transformation of China and the firehose of disinformation from Washington, from Beijing, and on social media make it especially important to stay engaged on these topics for the long haul, seeking good and diverse sources of information. Our students in History should remember that acing a class on a given subject doesn’t close the book on their studies of that region or that era of history. Rather it should just launch or continue an ongoing and lifelong effort at understanding. In these events, I try to bring compelling and expert voices across a range of subjects to our campus conversations so that we can see how complex and dynamic China is and always has been.”

Find the series page here.