The Rise of Civilization-State: China in the World Order

Speakers: Martin Jacques and Mark Tully
Discussant: James Crabtree
The Future of Asia Series | Edition II: Identity and Culture
In collaboration with Asia Society India Centre, Mumbai

July 31, 2012 | 6.30 pm
Auditorium, National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai

With the rise of China, India and other Asian countries, new notions of modernity and culture are gaining global prominence. As these forms interact with preexisting ones, particularly with Western cultural ethos and norms, what kinds of adjustments and clashes can we expect to see as countries and individuals define themselves and their relation to the world order? With many slating China to become the world’s largest economy within the next 20 years, what cultural and ideological shifts will be felt within China, among its neighbours including India, and across far reaching corners of the world? How can we expect perceptions of modernity itself to change, and what impact will this have on institutions within these countries? Join Martin Jacques in conversation with Mark Tully in an exploration of these questions, as he argues how China, being civilization-state rather than a nation-state, will pave the way fora fundamentally different tomorrow. The discussion will be chaired by James Crabtree.

Martin Jacques is the author of the global best-seller When China Rules the World: The End of the Western World and the Birth of a New Global Order. He is a Senior Visiting Fellow at IDEAS, a centre for diplomacy and grand strategy at the London School of Economics, and a Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University, Beijing. He has been a columnist for many newspapers, made several television programmes and is a former Deputy Editor of The Independent newspaper. He is also a Fellow at the Transatlantic Academy, Washington DC. He has previously been a Visiting Professor at Renmin University, the International Centre for Chinese Studies, Aichi University, Nagoya, and Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto. He was formerly the Editor of the renowned London-based monthly Marxism Today, and was Co-founder of the think-tank Demos.

Sir Mark Tully is a leading British broadcaster and writer, and is a recipient of the major British award for journalism, the Bafta Dimbleby Award. He has served as BBC’s Bureau Chief in New Delhi, and was awarded the Padma Shree and Padma Shushan Awards from the Government of India. Tully was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1985, and was knighted in the New Year Honours 2002. He is the author of several books, including Raj to Rajiv: 40 Years of Indian Independence, India: Forty Years of Independence, The Heart of India, India’s Unending Journey, and Non Stop India.

James Crabtree is the Mumbai Correspondent for the Financial Times. He previously worked as policy advisor in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, and is a trustee of the charity mySocietyorg, one of the UK’s most innovative technology organizations.

The Future of Asia series, co-produced by Mobile Parikh Center and Asia Society India Centre, brings together a diverse group of speakers from across the world to explore the Future of Asia from a multidisciplinary perspective. Each speaker addresses this theme through a distinct lens provided from his or her discipline, offering unique insights into what we can expect for Asia, and how we can shape a positive, sustainable future for the continent. In the inaugural year of the three-year series had the theme of Migration. This year, speakers will explore the theme of Identity and Culture.