The Diaspora Experience: Politics, Ethics, and Aesthetics of Emigrants from the Chinese Borderland听
10鈥�11 October 2024听
University of California, Davis听
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UC Davis East Asian Studies, Global Hong Kong Studies @ the University of California, and America-China Talk at UC Davis invite scholars and PhD students to submit original research papers for the above interdisciplinary conference. We welcome proposals from a diversity of theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches. 听听
In this age of globalization, diaspora studies offer critical insights into the massive dispersal of peoples from their homelands as a political, cultural, and moral force in the modern world. Challenging the methodological nationalism permeating social theories and area studies, research on diasporas has grown by leaps and bounds in the past decades. The diasporas originating from China鈥檚 borderlands, however, have received little systematic and comparative attention, even though the Chinese diaspora has long been an object of inquiry for historians, literary scholars, and social scientists. 听
This interdisciplinary conference spotlights the diasporas from听Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet, and Xinjiang, and explores how these communities might be shaped by their political, ethnic, and religious marginalization and conflicts in relation to the Chinese Mainland. We examine modalities of political engagement, cultural and artistic practices, and ethical and ideological formations of the dispersed peoples. Hence, politics, aesthetics, and ethics as the main themes.听Topics of interest听for paper proposals include, but are not limited to, the following:听
Politics of the diasporas听
路听听听听听听听听听cross-border political mobilization and advocacy networks听
路听听听听听听听听听encounters with transnational repression 听
路听听听听听听听听听intergroup conflict and solidarity 听
路听听听听听听听听听belonging and emigrant citizenship 听
路听听听听听听听听听issues of race, gender, class, religion, and sexuality within and among diasporas听
路听听听听听听听听听long-distance nationalism 听
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Aesthetics of the diasporas听
路听听听听听听听听听art forms and practices, sensibilities, and theorization of art producers听
路听听听听听听听听听meaning-making through literature and visual and digital cultures听
路听听听听听听听听听collection and curation of arts and memories听
路听听听听听听听听听personal and collective identities听
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Ethics of the diasporas听
路听听听听听听听听听political theory of exiles, statelessness, and nationalism听
路听听听听听听听听听moral considerations of the diasporic condition听
路听听听听听听听听听ethics, rights, and responsibilities of exiles听
路听听听听听听听听听transnational solidarity听
路听听听听听听听听听cosmopolitanism and communitarianism听
路听听听听听听听听听majority and minority rights among exiles听
Submission Guidelines听
Submit an abstract of 300 to 500 words that explains the research and its significance and a short CV by听15 September 2023听to Eddy U (eu@ucdavis.edu). 听
Confirmations of acceptance of presentation of full papers will be sent by 15 October 2023.听
We encourage contributions from听early career scholars and PhD students. We aim to publish a selection of the papers from the conference as a Special Issue in a peer-reviewed journal.听
We reimburse travel cost to presenters coming from within the US. Depending on funding, we may fully reimburse the travel cost of presenters coming from outside the US. We provide two nights of hotel accommodation.听听