Nov. 1 Lecture by Ezra Vogel on Deng Xiaoping

Distinguished Asia scholar Ezra Vogel will give a public talk on Deng Xiaoping, the pragmatic revolutionary responsible for China’s dramatic modernization drive in the late twentieth century. Deng, who was behind the bloody 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square, will be revealed for his other, less well-known, leadership role—as the man who probably did more than any other to nurture China’s economic juggernaut and to open its doors to the West.

Vogel, professor emeritus at Harvard University, will present his lecture, Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China, Tuesday, Nov. 1, at 4–5 p.m. in Trimble Forum, Trimble Hall on the campus of University of Puget Sound. Admission is free and light refreshments will be served. The talk is hosted by the Asian Studies program

A well-travelled researcher of Japan, Korea, and China, Vogel has written many books that trace the political and social transformations in East Asia over more than five decades. His book Japan as Number One: Lessons for America (1979) became a top seller in Japan and was followed two decades later by Is Japan Still Number One? This spring saw the launch of The Park Chung Hee Era, a potent account of Korea’s rapid growth following the Korean War, co-authored by Vogel and 22 other scholars.