13 January 2026 Hosted by the Department of Asian Studies, the Hong Kong Studies Initiative (HKSI) at the University of British Columbia is devoted to promoting the teaching and research of this most-improbable metropolis, both as an extraordinary Chinese city and as a spectacular international and transnational hub. |
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Book Talk Date: Tuesday, 27 January 2026 In this book talk, author Dr. Dorothy W.S. Lau (Hong Kong Baptist University) will examine how the platform-driven cinephilic engagement evokes a new imaginary of auteurs in East Asian cinema. |
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Symposium Proposal Deadline: January 23, 2026 |
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About the Symposium |
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| “Backreading Hong Kong” is an annual symposium that brings together scholars, emerging and established, to share their humanities research and findings on Hong Kong and to ignite stimulating, rigorous discussion. The theme of its 2026 edition, “Everyday Life Reimagined,” carves out a site of exchange and dialogue between cultural representations and creative practices that are imbued with the potentialities of critical reflection and reinvention. This symposium aims to explore the power of imagination and the possibility of creativity in cultural texts and practices in reflecting on paradigms, boundaries, and subject-object positionings and (re-)thinking with non-human actors, precarious subjects, and historically marginalized communities (in relation to gender, race, sexuality, ableism, age, social-economic background, etc.). We invite scholars, artists, writers, and translators to share their cross-disciplinary humanities research and findings on Hong Kong-related topics through the use of diverse methods and approaches, including but not limited to case studies, comparative approaches, critical discourse analysis, theoretical engagement, textual analysis, and cultural practices. |
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Topics |
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| We welcome proposals from scholars across disciplines (literature, cinema, media, translation, history, cultural studies) that engage critically with the theme “Everyday Life Reimagined.” Topics may include, but are not limited to: – Human and nonhuman agency and relation – Dealing with precarity (e.g., minoritized and marginalised subjects) – Dis-/Re-enchantment and the practice of everyday life – Intersections of race, gender, class, and language – Adaptation across media (from book to screen, and beyond) – Collaborative practices and productive imagination in the arts |
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Submission Details |
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| Please send a 250-word abstract outlining your paper’s main argument, methodology, and contribution, along with a short biographical note (max 150 words) to Dr. Helena Wu (helena.wu@ubc.ca), Dr. Tammy Lai-Ming Ho (tammy.poetry@gmail.com), and Dr. Chris Song (chriszj.song@utoronto.ca). Proposal Deadline: January 23, 2026 Selected participants will be invited to present at the in-person symposium held at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. |
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ASIA 323/HIST 377: History of Cantonese Worlds The history, culture, languages, and identities of the multi-faceted Cantonese worlds, in the context of Chinese history and the Cantonese diaspora. A survey of the cinema of Hong Kong from the post-war period to the present.ASIA/HIST 373: History of Hong Kong Explores the history, culture, and identities of Hong Kong from the port’s pre-colonial settings in the early nineteenth century to its post-colonial contexts.CNTO: Cantonese Language Courses The University of British Columbia is the only Canadian university to offer a comprehensive, for-credit Cantonese language program. |
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Please kindly consider a tax-deductible donation to HKSI (support.ubc.ca/hksi). Thank you, as always, for your support of the UBC Hong Kong Studies Initiative. |
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