150072 VO Chinese-speaking Societies (2023W)

Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan are the three most important Chinese-speaking societies. The three entities have forged distinct paths in political and economic development. Yet they share a common cultural heritage and are inter-connected through personal, economic and political ties. The societies manifest both unique characteristics and striking similarities. This lecture introduces central dimensions of social development and state-society relations in these societies, drawing on key insights of social scientific research on topics ranging from demography, social movements to political identities. By examining similarities and differences of observed societal outcomes against background conditions, students are encouraged to think critically about underlying mechanisms and the diversity of developmental paths among Chinese societies.