Event Details

Lancaster University Confucius Institute Academic Seminar Series

Abstract:

The conceptualization of 'news' played a crucial role in shaping modern journalism globally since the 18th century and equally contributed significantly to the transformation of the public sphere in Late Qing China.

The conventional 'information order' of 19th century China underwent profound transformations under the influence of both internal and external factors. This shift was marked by a transition from traditional modes of oral communication and written records, – both characterized by their limited accessibility to segmented publics ­ – to the emergence of modern print journalism.

With a selection of case studies on news coverage, spanning from individual stories to war reportage or social commentary in the form of satire, the presentation aims to illustrate the spectrum of what was conceived as 'news' featured in the Late Qing press in its nascent stage. It will then analyse the far-reaching consequences of these news items in terms of legal, social, and political dynamics within the new historical and international context. Subsequently, it will examine the ensuing transnational negotiations surrounding 'news values,' explaining how and why certain determinations were made and what implications these might have had for the future transformation of the public sphere in Republican China.

Speaker Biography:

Natascha Gentz received her MA and PhD degrees from Heidelberg University. During this time she studied at Fudan, Renmin and Tokyo University. Appointed as a Junior Professor at Frankfurt University in 2002, she moved to the University of Edinburgh to take up the post of Chair of Chinese Studies in 2006. Her research broadly covers the study of modern Chinese media and culture as well as conceptual history from a historical, political and transcultural perspective. Main Publications include: The Beginnings of Journalism in China, 2002; (ed) Mapping Meanings.The Field of New Learning in Late Qing China, 2004; (ed) Globalization, Cultural Identities and Media Representations, 2006; (ed) Transcultural Perspectives on Late Imperial China, 2019; Transcultural Perspectives on Modern China, 2019.

(Bio correct at the time of the seminar)