This presentation, as part of the Fall East Asian Studies Colloquium Series, explores the complex and contradictory ways in which the category of “youth” was deployed, exploited and contested at the time of the 1989 movement in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square twenty-five years ago. Dr. Fabio Lana examine the self-representations of the protestors, the Chinese government’s official statements, and the descriptions of the movement in the Western press to show how “youth” could convey many different and often conflicting meanings and how this category affected (and still affects) our understanding of the politics of Tiananmen 1989.

Dr. Fabio Lanza is an Associate Professor of History and East Asian Studies at the University of Arizona. He is a cultural historian of twentieth-century China, with a particular focus on political activism and urban space. He is the author of Behind the Gate: Inventing Students in Beijing 1917-1923, and co-editor of Decentering Cold War History.

The College of Humanities’ Department of East Asian Studies is dedicated to the study of the cultures and languages of China and Japan. The rich cultural heritages of the region are covered by courses in literature, history, society, religion and thought, linguistics and other aspects of culture. For more information about the degrees and courses offered, please visit eas.arizona.edu.