20 Years After Tiananmen, Is Unrest Brewing Again ?

Twenty years ago, Communism was dying in Russia and Eastern Europe, and democratic movements were transforming South Korea and the Philippines. In Beijing, students occupied Tiananmen Square, demanding a dialogue with the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party. Both in China and abroad, hopes were raised high by the student movement. Yet the idea that China would become democratic has not materialized. China remains an authoritarian regime, and to all intents and purposes intends to remain so. But what happened to the demands of 1989? Are the Chinese people satisfied with the material comfort of economic development? Or should we expect new confrontations?

Lecturer:

David Ownby
Professor
History
Université de Montréal

Guest speaker:

Sébastien Carrier
PhD Student in Geography
Université de Montréal

Mandatory readings :

 TOMBA, Luigi, (2004). “Creating an Urban Middle Class: Social Engineering in Beijing”, The China Journal, No. 51, Jan., pp. 1-26

 Blog: http://rconversation.blogs.com/rcon...

Suggested Readings :

 LE BAIL Hélène, (2008). « Le régime chinois face aux inégalités », politique étrangère, Été, 02 pp. 281-294.

 VERMANDER Benoît, (2005). « A quoi sert le Parti communiste chinois ? », Études, Tome 402, 4, pp. 461-470.