Everyday Democracy – Civil Society, Youth, and the Struggle Against Authoritarian Culture in China

Speaker: Anthony J. Spires, Associate Professor, Centre for Contemporary Chinese Studies, the University of Melbourne

Moderator: Yao Lu, Professor of Sociology, Columbia University

Profesor Spires is a sociologist and leading scholar on civil society in China. He is the author of two books: Global Civil Society and China (Cambridge), and Everyday Democracy (Columbia University Press). His talk will be based on his most recent book, Everyday Democracy. This book shows that even in an authoritarian state, bottom-up organizations nurture the skills and habits of democracy. This work pinpoints the seeds of a democratic culture inside an authoritarian regime.

Speaker’s Bio: Anthony J. Spires is Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Contemporary Chinese Studies. His research focuses on the development of civil society in China, including philanthropy, regulation, and the cultures of non-profit organizations. He has published widely in leading journals, including The American Journal of Sociology, The China Journal, China Quarterly, and Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. A graduate of Occidental College, Anthony holds a PhD in Sociology from Yale University.

This event is hosted by the Weatherhead East Asian Institute.

Registration: To attend this event in-person, please register HERE.