The Online Colloquium of the Summer Term 2024 by the Research Training Group GRK 2833 “East Asian Futures” continues with a lecture by Asst. Prof. Subodhana WIJEYERATNE, PhD. You are cordially invited to attend.

Asst. Prof. Subodhana WIJEYERATNE, PhD (Purdue University)
The Sun and the Stars: Sino-Japanese Space Cooperation, 1950–2000
Thursday, May 2nd, 2024, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Central European Time)

Abstract
The 20th century relationship between China and Japan was a famously fractious one, characterised by suspicion, competition, and, on occasion, significant violence. This talk will, however, point out that amidst the tensions of the Cold War, both sides could come together when the circumstances suited them – and that the consequences of this could last for generations. Using the example of China and Japan’s space programs, we will see how the People’s Republic and former Empire could come together to forge space-infrastructural and research based links, and how the people who generated them still work to maintain cooperation despite a souring geopolitical setting.

About the Speaker
Subodhana WIJEYERATNE is an academic and author living and working in the US. He is assistant professor of history at Purdue University, with a focus on East Asian history and the history of technology. His first book, Rockets of the Red Sun: The History of Japan’s Space Programs, 1920–2003, is being prepared for publication. Subo is also a writer of speculative fiction; his second novel, Triangulum: An Epic of the Nine Worlds of Surya is available at most major booksellers. You can follow his work on his website.

Organizer
Research Training Group 2833 “East Asian Futures: Visions and Realizations on National, Transregional and Global Scales”, Ruhr University Bochum and University of Duisburg-Essen.

Zoom meeting link
https://ruhr-uni-bochum.zoom.us/j/63438838443?pwd=VUEyVEc5YTN6RnhTZS9KVEZ4b2JuQT09