Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Organisation of conference
Description
2018 marks the fortieth anniversary of the initiation of China’s ‘Reform and Opening’ period. Over these four decades the country has seen economic, social and cultural transformation on a scale and at a speed unprecedented in human history. The Chinese government can rightfully claim major achievements including decades of double-digit economic growth, widespread poverty reduction, improvement in the material wellbeing of hundreds of millions of citizens, and the construction of advanced physical and digital infrastructure connecting people across the country’s vast territory. At the same time, however, the liberalisation of the economy and the focus on economic growth at all costs has resulted in environmental catastrophe and deepening inequality—creating a situation of precarity for those not able to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the shifting socioeconomic landscape. By bringing together scholars from China, Europe and elsewhere, this event aims to provide a much needed forum to reflect on, and assess, the legacy of China’s four decades of reforms from an interdisciplinary perspective.