Dear Friends of HKSI,
The UBC Hong Kong Studies Initiative (HKSI) will be organizing and hosting two events as part of the “City Rebegins" series in October: our featured webinar on community activism by Dr. Samson Yuen of the Hong Kong Baptist University; and a special screening of Far Far Away 緣路山旮旯, followed by a conversation with director Amos Why.
Moreover, we are pleased to announce that the "State of Hong Kong Studies" workshop will be held on 9–11 June 2023 at the University of British Columbia. Our goal is to take stock of the state of the field of “Hong Kong studies” and to stimulate further research. As you will see below, we look for contributions that will provide an overview of the state of a particular subfield in Hong Kong studies, and welcome approaches and methodologies from a wide range of disciplines.
Do join us for our events to encourage conversations and reflections.
Dr. Helena Wu
Assistant Professor, Hong Kong Studies
Convenor, Hong Kong Studies Initiative 共研香江
The University of British Columbia, Vancouver
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Webinar
Friday, 7 October 2022, 17:00–18:30 PDT
Becoming Communities: The Changing Face of Community Activism in Hong Kong
Dr. Samson Yuen, Hong Kong Baptist University
via Zoom
Registration: hksi.ubc.ca/events/event/webinar-becoming-communities
As an administrative construct, communities have long been a quiet backwater for social participation in Hong Kong. Although community activism briefly emerged in the late colonial era, it faded around the time of the handover with the development of electoral politics. However, the second post-handover decade has witnessed a revival of community activism, propelled largely by bottom-up, grassroots but not necessarily political initiatives that aim to bring communities back in. In this talk, Dr. Yuen argues that eventful protests were the major driver of this development. In part because of their failures in achieving their demands, these protests have led citizens to increasingly recognize the importance of local communities as a domain for social participation and self-identification. This talk focuses on three types of community activism – online discussion groups, politically-oriented groups and community newspapers – which emerged following three major waves of mass protests. By examining these community initiatives, this talk aims to show how their visions and activities were being influenced by the preceding protests and their outcomes. The findings seek to provide a more nuanced understanding of social activism in Hong Kong beyond the realm of street politics. Theoretically, it also aims to contribute to the burgeoning literature on movement consequences.
Samson Yuen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Government and International Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University. He is a political scientist who researches contentious politics, civil conflicts, public opinion, health and food politics, focusing particularly on East Asia. He holds a DPhil in Politics from Oxford University.
This webinar is organized by the UBC Hong Kong Studies Initiative and co-sponsored by: Department of Asian Studies, Department of History, Centre for Chinese Research, Department of Theatre and Film, Public Humanities Hub and the School of Social Work.
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Screening + Conversation
Tuesday, 25 October 2022, 18:00–20:30 PDT
Far Far Away 緣路山旮旯
Place of Many Trees, Liu Institute for Global Issues, University of British Columbia
This in person screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Amos Why 黃浩然.
Registration required: hksi.ubc.ca/events/event/screening-conversation-far-far-away
About the film:
A 28-year-old IT geek, Hau (starred by Kaki Sham), is a mediocre but warm-hearted introvert, who suddenly finds himself the object of affection for five attractive women (starred by Cecilia So, Crystal Cheung, Rachel Leung, Hanna Chan, and Jennifer Yu) within the same year. The quintet share virtually no similar traits except one quirky thing: they all live in remote corners of Hong Kong. Seeing our heartthrob’s struggles in getting there’s half the fun, though; all that travelling allows director Amos Why to offer his audience a chance to see and appreciate parts of the city they rarely get to experience.
Hong Kong | 2021 | 96 mins. | Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles
★ 2021 Hong Kong Asian Film Festival
★ 2022 Osaka Asian Film Festival
★ 2022 Singapore Chinese Film Festival
★ 2022 Far East Film Festival
★ 2022 New York Asian Film Festival
★ 2022 Golden Horse Awards - Nomination for Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Yu)
Watch the trailer here.
This screening+conversation is organized by the UBC Hong Kong Studies Initiative in partnership with Golden Scene Co. Ltd. and is co-sponsored by: Department of Asian Studies, Department of History, Centre for Chinese Research, Department of Theatre and Film, Public Humanities Hub and the School of Social Work.
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Workshop
State of Hong Kong Studies
9–11 June 2023
The University of British Columbia, Vancouver
Hybrid format
The aims of this international workshop are to take stock of the state of the field of “Hong Kong studies” and to stimulate further research. The papers we envision will be empirical in their substance and will each provide an overview of the state of a particular subfield (or sub-subfield) in Hong Kong studies. We look forward to contributions from both emerging and established scholars, and we welcome approaches and methodologies from a wide range of disciplines. Interested participants of the “State of Hong Kong Studies” workshop (to be held in-person and online) are kindly invited to review the full call for papers at hksi.ubc.ca/workshop2023. Deadline for abstracts is 15 November 2022.
This workshop is organized and hosted by the UBC Hong Kong Studies Initiative with the generous support of the Watt Family-Hong Kong Studies Initiative Fund.
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Seminar
Graffiti Artist x Flâneur: The King of Kowloon and His Street Calligraphy in Hong Kong
Thursday, 13 October 2022, 16:00–17:00 PDT
Dr. Helena Wu, University of British Columbia
Room 213, Museum of Anthropology, 6393 NW Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2
// This seminar will explore the transformation of the “King of Kowloon” into a source of local belonging, as well as the relationship between visuality, public space, and collective memory in postmillennial Hong Kong. //
The Visual+Material Culture Research Seminar Series is convened by Dr. Fuyubi Nakamura, Dr. Nuno Porto, and Dr. Kelly Midori McCormick and is hosted by the Museum of Anthropology.
Details: moa.ubc.ca/events/visual-material-culture-research-seminar-series-fall-2022/#oct-13
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Talk
It’s Complicated: Hong Kong Literature in Translation
Thursday, 6 October 2022, 17:30–18:45 PT
Louise Law, Spicy Fish Cultural Production Limited
Hybrid format
// What are we talking about when we talk about Hong Kong Literature, especially in translation? How many have been translated into English and how many have yet to be uncovered? This talk will give an overview of Hong Kong Literature in the past 70 years, highlighting key writers who are representative of the spirit of Hong Kong. //
This talk is co-organized by the USF Center for Asia Pacific Studies and the Asian Studies Program, University of San Francisco.
Details: www.usfca.edu/event/its-complicated-hong-kong-literature-translation/9792596
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Book Talk
Hong Kong Takes Flight
Friday, 7 October 2022, 17:00–18:30 HKT
Dr. John D. Wong, University of Hong Kong
Via Zoom
// Commercial aviation took shape in Hong Kong as the city developed into a powerful economy. Rather than accepting air travel as an inevitability in the era of global mobility, the author argues that Hong Kong’s development into a regional and global airline hub was not preordained. //
This book talk is co-organized by the University of Hong Kong and the Society for Hong Kong Studies.
Details: hkstudies.org/events/book-talk-series-new-directions-in-hk-studies/
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Seminar
Hong Kong’s Human Rights Meltdown Seminar
Wednesday, 19 October 2022, 14:00–15:30 BST
Dr. Johannes Chan, University College London
Online
// This seminar discusses the implications of the United Nations’ International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) review on post-NSL Hong Kong from the perspective of academics and stakeholders concerned about the future of human rights in Hong Kong. //
This seminar is co-organized by the Hong Kong Studies Association and the Transnational Law Institute KCL.
Details: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hong-kongs-human-rights-meltdown-seminar-tickets-424128328247
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Please kindly consider a tax-deductible donation to HKSI (hksi.ubc.ca/support-us). Thank you, as always, for your support of the UBC Hong Kong Studies Initiative.
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