Dialogue 對話 | “Bringing Democracy Home?” 「把民主帶回家?」

The concept of this event originates back in two years ago, when Ubyssey, UBC’s official student newspaper, published a controversial featured article titled “Bringing Democracy Home?”, with subtitle inside the page: “Apathy, hostility, inability and fear: Why Chinese international students aren’t bringing western politics back home” (A link to the article online: http://old.ubyssey.ca/features/chinese-international-students-arent-bringing-democracy-home092). This article had gained an enormous amount of attention from different perspectives, and became a subject of debate even beyond communities in UBC.

Two years later, we are glad to have the opportunity to host an open and mutually respectful dialogue on the issues raised and inspired by this article. Using it as our starting point, we invite you to critically think about, and share your thoughts on these questions:
· Have you experienced or witnessed any assumption based on the identity of Chinese International Students?
· How do you feel when you/people talk about politics?
· What does democracy mean to you? What factors cause you to think that way? Did your perception of politics change after studying at UBC or coming to Canada?

This dialogue does not aim to articulate formal response to the Ubyssey article, nor does it aim to generate consensus among any individuals or groups. Instead, we warmly encourage you, regardless of your background, to participate and share your experiences and opinions. Let’s join this learning process to share and listen to stories, understand disagreements, and respect differences.


The event is FREE and light refreshments will be provided.

Sponsors:

UBC Hua Dialogue, UBC Centre for Chinese Research