The growth of markets and consumerism in China's post-Mao era of political and economic reform is a story familiar to many. By contrast, the Mao period (1949–1976) — accurately framed as a time of scarcity — initially appears to have had little material culture to speak of. Yet people attributed great meaning to materials and objects often precisely because they were rare and difficult to obtain. Join Jennifer Altehenger (Oxford University) and Denise Ho (Yale University), the co-editors of Material Contradictions in Mao's China, in a discussion of just how central materiality was to everyday life in China, from travelling cinemas to what would seem like routine objects today. This hybrid event is jointly organized by RASBJ and the Yale Center Beijing. The speakers will be streamed online, and Ching-Ching Ni will moderate in-person at the Yale Center Beijing.

This event is exclusively for Yale alumni and participants of past Yale Center Beijing programs.

More here: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/UkYqRTzc_fRXBUPGdFs-wQ