Abstract
China’s en
try in modernity was not just traumatic\, but uproarious. As its last dynas
ty 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 cul
ture of practical joking and buffoonery. These various expressions of hilar
ity 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 you
mo (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 for
ces have nurtured cultures of humor in a modernizing society\, from the las
t days of empire to the digital age.
Please click here for more details on Dr. R
ea's book\, "The Age of Irreverence: A New History of Laughter in China" (U
niversity of California Press\, 2015).
About the Speakers
Dr. Christopher Rea is Associate Professor of Modern Chinese Li terature in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Co lumbia. He is the editor of Humans\, Beasts\, and Ghosts: Stories and Essay s by Qian Zhongshu and the coeditor of The Business of Culture: Cultural En trepreneurs 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 Cha ir and Professor of History at the University of British Columbia. A native of Toronto and graduate of the University of Toronto\, Brook moved from To ronto to become principal of St. John’s College at UBC in 2004\, where he w as 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 U niversity of Oxford\, where he was Shaw Professor of Chinese from 2007 to 2 009.
Please RSVP here.
Sponsor: Centre for Chi nese Research\, The Peter Wall Institute of Advanced Studies
Full det ail event poster here
LOCATION:Seminar 307\, The Peter Wall Institute of Advanced Studies GEO:49.268667;-123.256919 URL;VALUE=URI:https://sppga.ubc.ca/events/event/chinas-age-of-irreverence-c hristopher-rea-in-conversation-with-timothy-brook/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Vancouver BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 DTSTART:20150308T100000 TZNAME:PDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR