Media Narratives and the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands Dispute

Please join the USC U.S.-China Institute for a discussion on newly published book, "The Dispute Over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands: How Media Narratives Shape Public Opinion and Challenge the Global Order." Contributors Tom Hollihan, Patricia Riley, and Zhan Zhang will share their research and to discuss responses to their work.

Click here to watch the presentations.

“Let me reiterate that our treaty commitment to Japan’s security is absolute, and Article 5 covers all territories under Japan’s administration, including the Senkaku Islands.”
                                                               Pres. Barack Obama, Tokyo, April 24, 2014 

Most Americans have never heard of these small uninhabited islands, but after World War II the U.S. used them for bombing practice. Japan has administered them since 1972, but the Chinese and Japanese governments both consider them inseparable parts of their nations. The U.S. says that it takes no position on which nation the islands belong to, but says that resolution of the dispute must be done through peaceful means.   

Long a point of contention between the two countries, the issue heated up and garnered global attention in 2012 when China protested the Japanese government’s nationalization of the islands. Large protests broke out, sometimes including violence, organizations were mobilized, and there were confrontations at sea. China established a new air defense identification zone including the islands. Depictions of the islands and the dispute in traditional and new media in China, Japan, and the U.S. have done much to shape public opinion and to influence how political leaders discuss the issue. A newly published book, The Dispute Over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands: How Media Narratives Shape Public Opinion and Challenge the Global Order (Palgrave Macmillan) details this. Three contributors to the volume will join us to share their research and to discuss responses to their work. 

Tom Hollihan is professor of communication at USC Annenberg and chairs the USCI executive committee. He edited the book and wrote the introduction and a chapter on the depiction of the dispute in the U.S. media. Zhan Zhang 张展 is a researcher and project coordinator at China Media Observatory at the Università della Svizzera italiana. She contributed a chapter on how Chinese traditional media discuss the issue. Patricia Riley is associate professor of communication and directs the Global Communication masters degree program at USC Annenberg. She looks at what the controversy shows about the conduct of public diplomacy in a new global media environment. Hollihan and Riley recently completed a book tour through Hong Kong, Taipei, Shanghai, Beijing, and Tokyo and will also discuss responses to their arguments.

Driving Directions to Campus
For maps and directions to campus, visit the University Park Campus Map & Driving Directions page. 
 
Suggested Parking ($10 on campus):
Parking Structure X (PSX)
Enter at the Figueroa Street Entrance at 35th Street (Entrance 3)
 
Parking Structure D (PSD)
Enter at Jefferson Blvd. and McClintock Avenue (Entrance 5).