Tong Lam: Strange Love is in the Air, CBC-JHI Lecture
Professor Tong Lam will give the CBC-JHI lecture on Tuesday, April 14.
- Title: Strange Love Is in the Air
- Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2025
- Time: 4–6 pm
- Location: JHB 100, 170 St. George Street
- REGISTER
Why were love stories so prevalent in Cold War China’s nuclear weapons development restricted zones, and what do these stories reveal about Cold War mobilization in China and beyond?
The context for this research is Cold War-era China, specifically the restricted zones—closed cities dedicated to nuclear weapons development. These zones were secretive and heavily controlled, and yet, they became sites where numerous love stories emerged through memoirs, propaganda, and popular culture. The research is situated within broader scholarly conversations in critical infrastructure studies, media studies, and science and technology studies (STS), exploring how personal narratives and cultural memory intersect with state mobilization, secrecy, and the materiality of Cold War infrastructures.
This lecture offers a rare and compelling look into an overlooked aspect of Cold War history: the unexpected emergence of love stories in China’s top-secret nuclear weapons zones. Tong Lam’s research sheds light on how intimate, human experiences took root in places designed for secrecy, control, and military power. By weaving together memoirs, propaganda, and popular culture, Lam uncovers how these stories reveal deeper truths about Cold War mobilization, state power, and the emotional landscapes of life under surveillance.
