August 6th 2008

International attention galvanized around protests by Tibetans in China earlier this year in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics. Yet the devastating earthquake in Sichuan in May diverted much of this attention away from Tibetan grievances with Chinese rule. Could the conflict escalate as the Games begin? This public lecture explores how the Chinese Government has responded to the protests by intensifying implementation of the very policies that contributed to Tibetan anger and frustration in the first place, a decision that will have implications for the future of Tibetans, Chinese society, and China’s international engagement.

Introduced by
Professor David Goodman, UTS Deputy Vice-Chancellor, International.

Dr Susette Cooke
Susette Cooke is lecturer in China Studies in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Technology Sydney. She studied in Beijing 1978-80, and in Xi'an in 1993 for postdoctoral research on Tang dynasty history. Beginning in 1980 with an overland journey from Chengdu to lhasa, she has travelled extensively as an independent researcher in Tibetan areas within the PRC, producing (with Steven D. Marshall) the encyclopaedic report Tibet Outside the TAR from field studies during 1995 and 1996 in the Tibetan autonomous areas of Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan, and yunnan provinces. Her current research focuses on the social history of northwest China, and on China's national religious policies.

Resources

• flyer (PDF 56k)
• audio recording (MP3 27.5 MB)

UTSPEAKS: is a free public lecture series presented by UTS experts discussing a range of important issues confronting contemporary Australia