British Postgraduate Network for Chinese Studies Annual Conference 2022
Negotiating the New Normality
Time: 23rd – 24th June 2022
Venue: China Centre, University of Oxford
Since the COVID outbreak started in 2020, China has gone through a profound socioeconomic change, shifting cultural and political landscapes. A drastic cut of international travel has greatly impeded the free flow of information exchange, especially given the “zero covid” policy, which China has adopted for the past two years and is expected to linger in the foreseeable future. The global order under the shadow of COVID has remained uncertain: the relationship between China and some major world powers have been strained; tensions between China and its neighboring countries are still intensifying, despite thawing signs in relationships between China and the US following the cessation of Trump’s administration.
Apart from the quandaries at the state level, individuals’ social life also presented a prolonged impasse under the new normality. Chinese people have been encumbered with precarity and anxiety, and their daily lives have been constantly disrupted by anticipatable domestic travel restrictions and quarantine. In the meantime, Chinese youth are struggling with both neijuan (involution) and tangping (lying-flat) issues in the face of a more competitive job market under the pandemic and economic recession.
Given the issues above, it is crucial for scholars of Chinese studies to reflect on how China positions itself in the new global order, and how individuals are adapted to the new normality and their daily interaction with other people and the state. Thus, this year’s BPCS Annual Conference aims to provide insights and deepen the understanding of the diverse challenges and opportunities in the new era. The conference also envisions to initiate scholarly discussion on emerging themes and methodologies in the field of Chinese studies.
Despite the theme for this year’s conference, we welcome submissions from all disciplines related to Chinese studies, regardless of time frames and approaches.
Keynote Speakers:
Prof. Julia C. Strauss (Professor, SOAS University of London)
Julia C. Strauss is Professor of Chinese Politics in the Department of Political and International Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. She received a BA in Chinese Language and European History from the Connecticut College (1983) and both MA and PhD from the University of California, Berkeley (1984, 1991). She moved to SOAS in 1994, and was promoted to Professor in 2013. She previously served as the Chief Editor of The China Quarterly from 2002-2011.
Professor Strauss’s research spans both sides of the Taiwan Straits, focusing on state and institution building, governance, the performative dimensions of politics, the environment, and China’s “going out” policy toward the developing world, particularly with respect to Africa and Latin America. Her most recent publication includes State Formation in China and Taiwan: Bureaucracy, Campaign, and Performance (Cambridge University Press 2019).
Dr. Patricia Thornton (Associate Professor, University of Oxford)
Patricia M. Thornton is Associate Professor of Chinese Politics in the Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR) at the University of Oxford. She received her BA, MA and PhD in Political Science respectively from the Swarthmore College, the University of Washington, Seattle, and the University of California, Berkeley. She is currently the Acting Chief Editor of The China Quarterly, the first person to serve in the post in the journal’s 62-year history who is not a SOAS faculty member.
Dr. Thornton’s research focuses on mapping the interactions—including institutions, practices and networks—between state and social forces in China over time. Her recent publication includes To Govern China: Evolving Practices of Power (with Vivienne Shue, Cambridge University Press 2017) and Red Shadows: Memories and Legacies of the Chinese Cultural Revolution (with Chris Berry, Cambridge University Press 2017).
Dr. Hongwei Bao (Associate Professor, University of Nottingham)
Hongwei Bao is Associate Professor in Media Studies in the School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies at the University of Nottingham. He received a PhD in Gender Studies and Cultural Studies from the University of Sydney, Australia, in 2011. He was previously taught at the Nottingham Trent University (2012-13), the University of Potsdam (2011), the University of Sydney (2006-10) and the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts, Beijing (2002-06).
Dr. Bao’s research focuses on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) visual and performance culture in contemporary China and transnationally. He also studies media and cultural practices in the Chinese diaspora. His recent publication includes Contemporary Chinese Queer Performance (Routledge 2022), Queer Media in China (Routledge 2021), and Queer China: Lesbian and Gay Literature and Visual Culture under Postsocialism (Routledge 2020).
Paper Submission:
Interested applicants should submit their paper proposals, including a title, an abstract (max 250 words), and a short bio (max 150 words), to bpcsannualconference2022@gmail.com or the online form (https://forms.gle/dw7Xu7o8VS1cfkxbA) by 30th April 2022.
Papers will be selected by the organizing committee (BPCS), who will assign submissions of individual papers to panels. The decision of proposals will be made by 23 May 2022.
Co-hosts & Sponsors:
