Griz Chat: Historian of Chinese Society and Politics to Talk Tiananmen at UM
By Abigail Lauten-Scrivner, UM News Service
MISSOULA – If westerners recognize anything from China’s 1989 pro-democracy movement, it’s likely the iconic image of “Tank Man,” depicting an unknown, lone individual standing in defiance in front of a line of tanks near Tiananmen Square.
While those in the U.S. often lack a full picture of the movement behind the infamous photo, Chinese citizens today also may have an incomplete image, as the government continues to ban public discourse of the Tiananmen Square protests and censor information, including “Tank Man.” Yet the impacts of the movement persist.
Such themes will be central to Dr. Rowena He’s upcoming talk at the University of Montana, “The Betrayal of Loyalty: From Tiananmen to Hong Kong.”
He previously visited UM in 2014 following the publication of her first book. She will return to campus Thursday, April 13, as part of the President’s Lecture Series. Free and open to the public, her talk will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom. The event serves as this year’s Lucile Speer Memorial Lecture and is co-sponsored by the Mansfield Center.
He is an associate professor of history at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and a Luce East Asia Fellow at the National Humanities Center. A historian of modern and contemporary Chinese society and politics, she is an expert in the 1989 pro-democracy movement. He was born and brought up in China and later received her Ph.D. from the University of Toronto.
Her first book, “Tiananmen Exiles: Voices of the Struggle for Democracy in China” was named one of five top books by the Asia Society’s ChinaFile magazine in 2014. It was reviewed in the New York Review of Books, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Human Rights Quarterly and other international periodicals. He was designated among the Top 100 Chinese Public Intellectuals in 2016.
He formerly taught at Harvard University, Wellesley College and Saint Michael’s College. She received the Harvard University Certificate of Teaching Excellence for three consecutive years and the CUHK Faculty of Arts Outstanding Teaching Award for 2020 and 2021. She also testified before a U.S. Congressional hearing and delivered lectures for the U.S. State Department and the Canada International Council.
He spoke with UM News to preview what to expect from her forthcoming event.
UM News: Without giving too much away, can you explain what the title of your lecture means?
“The Betrayal of Loyalty” is a major theme in my book “Tiananmen Exiles.” Tracing the life trajectories of three exiled students from the 1989 Tiananmen Movement in China, I use personal narratives to illuminate the making of the political consciousness of the Tiananmen generation – how their idealism was fostered by the very powers that ultimately crushed it, and how such idealism evolved in exile facing the conflicts of historical amnesia, political commitment, ethical action and personal happiness.
I will draw on first-hand experience fresh from the unprecedented social movement in Hong Kong to share my observations and reflections of the continuities and differences of this striking theme between betrayal and loyalty.
UM News: What themes, messages and ideas will your talk explore?
The talk will be in the form of a personal journey of preserving historical memories tabooed by the Beijing regime. Integrating the personal with the social, the historical and the political, the narrative accounts across time and border aim to stimulate more stories from our audience in our reflections on universal values of truth and justice, especially in this post-truth era compounded with populism and nationalism.
UM News: How does your personal background inform your research?
Where shall I begin? Come to the talk for the full story!
UM News: What do people often misunderstand about the Tiananmen Square movement, as well as modern China? What do you wish they knew?
Tiananmen was not just about repression, but also about hope – about a generation of youth’s longing for freedom and democracy that people in this country are born with but we had to fight generation after generation at high cost. Don’t take anything for granted. And safeguard your democracy.
UM News: Why should Montanans attend your talk, and what can they expect to learn?
When I last gave a talk in Montana in 2014, I wasn’t even sure if anyone would show up. I had never been to Montana. Just like when I first landed in Vancouver as a new immigrant, I had never been to Canada. I had nothing but two suitcases and hope.
In 2014, I was beautifully surprised when I walked into the packed Dennison Theatre and was warmly moved by the standing ovation after the talk. I remember it was a rainy night. People were waiting outside to get my book – that was the day my first book was released. One of the highlights of the night was when several Chinese students came up after everyone left, asking me questions with confusion and trust.
I have been through a lot in life ever since, especially in the past three years like everyone else. When I was struggling in darkness, that image of Montanans in the shared space of Dennison was one of my sources for strength.
UM News: The President’s Lecture Series is intended to stir public conversation. What do you hope audience members are still discussing after the lecture ends?
I think the beauty of engagement and teaching is that we collectively walk through the journey together. It is not a one-way traffic. I am looking forward to having dialogues with folks in Montana again on April 13.
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Contact: Dave Kuntz, UM director of strategic communications, 406-243-5659, dave.kuntz@umontana.edu.