Abstract
China’s entry in modernity was not just traumatic, but uproarious. As its last dynasty fell and was replaced by a republic, political and cultural discussion erupted into invective, with critics gleefully jeering and deriding rivals in public. Farceurs drew followings in the popular press, promoting a culture of practical joking and buffoonery. These various expressions of hilarity proved so offensive to high-brow writers that they launched a concerted campaign to displace the old forms of mirth with a new one they called youmo (humor). What can we learn about modern history from the perspective of those who laugh their way through it? Focusing on the case of China, this conversation will discuss how political turmoil, new media, and other forces have nurtured cultures of humor in a modernizing society, from the last days of empire to the digital age.
Please click here for more details on Dr. Rea’s book, “The Age of Irreverence: A New History of Laughter in China” (University of California Press, 2015).
About the Speakers
Dr. Christopher Rea is Associate Professor of Modern Chinese Literature in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia. He is the editor of Humans, Beasts, and Ghosts: Stories and Essays by Qian Zhongshu and the coeditor of The Business of Culture: Cultural Entrepreneurs in China and Southeast Asia, 1900–60.
Dr. Timothy Brook is a professor and writer on Chinese and world history at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Dr. Brook is also the Republic of China Chair and Professor of History at the University of British Columbia. A native of Toronto and graduate of the University of Toronto, Brook moved from Toronto to become principal of St. John’s College at UBC in 2004, where he was named to the Republic of China Chair. He has also held positions at the University of Alberta (1984-86), Stanford University )1997-99), and the University of Oxford, where he was Shaw Professor of Chinese from 2007 to 2009.
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Sponsor: Centre for Chinese Research, The Peter Wall Institute of Advanced Studies
Full detail event poster here
