China-West Studies Strategic Research Theme
China-West Studies Strategic Research Theme
Breaking Down The Barriers
The single-minded focus that characterises traditional scholarly work is under challenge. In a globalised, interconnected world, new problems and new situations demand fresh perspectives. This explains the surge in interdisciplinary research, not only in science-based faculties but in Arts, too.
The Faculty has embraced this 
approach through its China-West research focus, which receives seed funding under HKU’s Strategic Research Themes programme. China-West was pioneered six years ago under the previous dean, Professor Kam Louie, and now it is led by Professor Stephen Chu, who is also Programme Director of the cross-disciplinary Hong Kong Studies undergraduate programme.
“China-West Studies is seen as somewhat ‘old school’ by some critics because in an age of globalisation, it is difficult to dichotomise the two. Sometimes China is West and the West is China. But we want to explore topics of interaction and hybridisation,” he said.
“There are many experts in HKU in different departments and faculties who are interested in China-West topics – history, law, literature and so on. The SRT gives us a platform to capitalise on our strengths, pull these experts together, and encourage them to develop new areas of research.”
The SRT has members from the Faculties of Arts, Law, Social Sciences, Architecture and Education, and over the past four years it has organised several conferences, published several books and “made noise in academia that HKU is focusing on China-West Studies,” Professor Chu said. It also proposed an Area of Excellence in Chinese masculinity studies, which made it to the final round of consideration by the Research Grants Council – close enough to encourage members of the research potential in this new field.
Upcoming conferences give an insight on other ideas that are being explored. “Hong Kong as Method” will consider Hong Kong’s potential as a route through which to understand the cultural and intercultural dynamics of China and the West. And a conference co-organised with New York University on “Siting Postcoloniality” will look at post-colonialism in the Hong Kong and Asian context. The SRT will also cosponsor an international conference on “Food and Health” organized by the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences. These activities will be attended by top international researchers (including researchers at HKU) in the particular themes that are under the China-West Studies rubric.
http://www.rss.hku.hk/strategic-research/china/china-west-studies
Professor Chu hopes in the near future to tap into the expertise of Professor Shih Shu-Mei, Hon-Yin and Suet-Fong Chan Endowed Professor of Chinese, who is a pioneer globally in Sinophone studies, and also to find yet more research collaborators outside Arts.
Architecture and urban planning academics, for example, worked with our Department of Comparative Literature on knowledge exchange projects that addressed the interplay of cultural, architectural and community preservation, and could be potential partners in research. “Each discipline can contribute a different perspective for analysing our city,” he said.
More large research projects are expected to emerge from the SRT and Professor Chu said they hoped to propose a China-West topic to the Research Grants Council’s Collaborative Research Fund in the near future.
“The most fruitful achievements can be made from the chemistry that happens when different disciplines meet each other and interact,” he added, a point that will also be relevant to a new research theme, the Emerging SRT on Law, Literature, Language, with the Faculty of Law.
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Upcoming Conferences Sponsored By The China-West SRT: Hong Kong as Method - December 7 to 9, 2014 “Hong Kong As Method” will open with a public seminar featuring novelist Mr Chan Koonchung, scholar Professor Leo Ou-fan Lee, and chaired by Professor Anthony Fung. The seminar, in Cantonese, will be held in Rayson Huang Theatre on Sunday, December 7, 2014, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. The conference is co-organised by the Department of Comparative Literature, the Hong Kong Studies Programme, and the Center for the Study of Globalization and Cultures. Siting Postcoloniality - June 25 to 27, 2015 |