英语学院学术论坛系列 (NO. 571)

Forum on British Studies (NO.45)

Britain and the European Union: the European Dream in Crisis?

Speaker: Professor Richard Sanders

University of Northampton, UK

Time: 15:00-16:50 pm

Date：29 September, 2015 (Tuesday)

Venue:   英语楼312

主讲人简介：

Dr Richard Sanders is Emeritus Professor of Contemporary Chinese Studies at the University of Northampton, UK, teaching and researching on political economy and Asian globalization. He got his PhD degree in 1998 writing a thesis entitled “Prospects for Sustainable Development in the Chinese Countryside: the Political Economy of Chinese Ecological Agriculture”. From 1991 to 1993 Prof. Sanders was employed by the British Council in Beijing to work as a foreign expert and lecturer in economics in the English Department of Beijing Foreign Studies University, contributing a great deal to the founding and the development of the British Studies MA programme here. He has published richly, including one authored book entitled Prospects for Sustainable Development in the Chinese Countryside: the Political Economy of Chinese Ecological Agriculture (Ashgate, 2000) and 2 edited books, one of which is entitled China’s Post-Reform Economy: Achieving Harmony, Sustaining Growth (Routledge, 2007). He has also published numerous articles in academic journals and chapters in edited books and has presented research papers at many conferences throughout the world.

讲座摘要：

The 28-nation European Union is currently facing enormous difficulties. Tensions remain high as a result of the financial crisis in Greece and the possibility of “Grexit” from the Euro-zone. However, the flood of refugees from wars primarily in the Middle East, notably from Syria, Iraq, Eritrea and Afghanistan, is straining both the infrastructure of many European countries and relations between them very badly.

To make matters worse, the UK will hold a referendum on membership of the EU in 2017 and, currently, the outcome of that referendum is on a knife-edge. Troubles inside the EU make the possibility of Britain’s exit – or Brexit – from the EU ever more likely. So is Europe in terminal crisis?