Wendy Larson Keynote Speaker for 2019 MCAA Conference
Professor Wendy Larson (University of Oregon; author of Zhang Yimou: Globalization and the Subject of Culture) be the keynote speaker at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Midwest Conference on Asian Affairs at Michigan State University. The title of her keynote speech is “Revolutionary Optimism in 1950s Chinese Culture.”
A description from the program about Professor Larson’s speech :
When Chinese revolutionary culture reached its zenith in the 1950s and 1960s, revolutionary optimism became a strongly encouraged emotional perspective, attitude, and expression. It was touted through literature, film, images, and virtually every aspect of daily life. However, the valorizing of happiness took place with equal fervency in the United States. Socialism and capitalism both embodied the modern ideals of progress and improvement characteristic of scientific rationalism, which drove their embrace of happiness and an optimistic attitude.
For more information on the 2019 MCAA conference, please see the MCAA program.