Call for Abstracts: International Conference on the History of Hong Kong

CFP: International Conference on the History of Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong

Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Hong Kong

10-11 April 2015

The history of Hong Kong is multi-faceted. In this unique Chinese city where East and West have intersected for more than 150 years, major trends of traditional and contemporary history cross and intertwine. Although the colonial administration exerted its Western influence, Hong Kong maintained its Chinese identity, and played an important role in China’s social and political development. Present day Hong Kong is one of the world’s progressive modern financial centers, even as cherished patterns of traditional culture remain. In order to better comprehend this complex place and its peoples, it is crucial to understand their pasts.

This year’s conference will emphasize approaches to Hong Kong history through culture and literature. Hong Kong’s vibrant history will be reassembled through its cultural aspects, as well as through its representations in English and Chinese literature.

Accommodations will be provided for all international participants.

We invite original research papers that ask the following questions:

• How and why did Hong Kong become an East/West cultural crossroads?
• How does Hong Kong’s cultural diversity play out across its history?
• How have globalization and financialization determined Hong Kong’s history? Conversely, how has Hong Kong shaped globalization?
• How have rural and urban life styles and built environments interacted across Hong Kong history?
• What roles have Chinese and Western religions and philosophies played in Hong Kong history?
• How have educational institutions and legal norms influenced the everyday experiences of Hong Kong people?
• How has Hong Kong’s history been portrayed in literature or in other forms of art?
• How have Chinese and English literary and artistic cultures shaped, and been shaped by, Hong Kong’s history?

Keynote Speakers:

• Professor Ming Chan (Stanford University)
• Professor Fujii Shozo (The University of Tokyo)
• Professor David Faure (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

Please send you paper title and abstract (max. 400 words) in a WORD document by 30 November 2014 to David J. Kang (djhkang@ied.edu.hk).

Please note that the conference committee will review and select the papers. The selected papers will be announced by 15 January 2015.