2025 Peter L. Lee Endowed Lectureship in East Asian Culture and Civilization welcomes Dr. Victor Seow, John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences, Department of the History of Science, Harvard University

"Japanese Engineers in Revolutionary China"

What happens to imperial agents after the fall of empire? In this talk, historian of science Victor Seow explores this question through the experiences of “retained and employed” (留用) Japanese engineers and technicians in post-1945 China. In particular, he focuses on the ways that these individuals came to serve the project of socialist industrialization following the 1949 revolution. Through this case, he raises questions about technical expertise, knowledge transfer, and the evaluation of imperial legacies in East Asia in the decades following empire’s end.

4:00 pm Reception

4:30 - 6:00 pm Lecture

Free admission. If planning to attend, please register.