2016-17 marks the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in China. AFE is offering a re-examination in two strands: one strand will consider the political and social ramifications of the movement through independent reading of China Under Mao: A Revolution Derailed, by Andrew Walder, with 4 webinars with the author. The second strand, will read literary and autobiographical accounts of life under Mao in four different periods, from 1949-1980, divided among four book group offerings. Teachers are free to participate in all just one or all 5 of the reading groups offered in both strands.
Enemies of the People is a collection of edited reflections, based on interviews, by survivors of the Cultural Revolution -- both of perpetrators and victims, and often, individuals who were both. Provides a basis for discussion ot the undercurrents in Chinese society today, on the 50th anniversary of the movement. The author, Anne Thurston, will join us for discussion.