The Camden Conference presents Kristin Vekasi at the Camden Public Library on Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. Her talk is titled “Beyond the Great Firewall: Censorship and Politics in Contemporary China.” This event is free and open to all. 

The Chinese government has a sophisticated censorship regime, where they directly control or manage the information their citizens can access. This talk explores how information is censored in China, and the implications of censorship for the continued rule of the Chinese Communist Party and China’s foreign relations.

Kristin Vekasi is an assistant professor in the department of political science and School of Policy and International Affairs. She received her PhD at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and has conducted extensive research and fieldwork across Northeast Asia, particularly in Japan and China. She has been a visiting fellow with the Japan Foundation at Tokyo University, a Fulbright Fellow at Tohoku University, and a Foreign Language and Area Studies fellow at the Harbin Institute of Technology. Vekasi’s research focuses on Japan-China relations, and how multinational firms manage political risk in a globalized and politicized world. Recent publications discuss how private firms use cultural exchange programs to improve tense international relations, and responses to China’s use of rare earth metals in their economic statecraft.

This event is presented in anticipation of the 33rd annual Camden Conference - “ The Media Revolution: Changing the World,” Feb. 21-23, 2020, live at the Camden Opera House and livestreamed to the Hutchinson Center in Belfast, Strand Theatre in Rockland, and Hannaford Hall in Portland.

The mission of the Camden Conference is to foster informed discourse on world issues. For more information, please visit www.camdenconference.org or call 207-236-1034.