British Postgraduate Network for Chinese Studies 2016 Annual Conference “Dynamic China”

King’s College London, UK

23 – 24th Jun 2016

Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, China has entered a new phase. Widely referred to as an era of realising the ‘Chinese dream’ and building the ‘new normal’, it is commonly characterised by notions of ‘slow growth’, ‘anti-corruption’, ‘middle income status’, and ‘urbanisation’. At the same time, Xi’s push to rehabilitate Chinese culture and traditional Confucian values prompted both the Chinese society and China watchers to rethink China’s ideological, cultural and historical heritage. But what are exactly the changes in politics, economy, culture and society that have taken place under Xi Jinping, and what can be expected in the future? With the 13th five-year plan underway, China is faced with revaluation of its past, complexity of its present, and uncertainty of its future.

 

Confirmed keynote speakers:
Prof. Kerry Brown (King’s College London)
Prof. Julia C. Strauss (SOAS, University of London)
Prof. Barend ter Haar (University of Oxford)

Now is the time to revisit old questions and develop new lines of academic inquiry. What is the future of China in a changing world? What is the true nature of power in China? How far has popular culture in China been influenced by the proliferation of new media? What impact has China’s popular and literary culture had in the non-Chinese speaking world? Is China’s pre-modern history still relevant today? What is the relationship between urbanisation and a consumption-led economic model? What can China’s foreign relations tell us about its global future? These are some of the questions that the British Postgraduate Network for Chinese Studies 2016 Annual Conference will explore. We encourage submission of papers in the following broad areas:

History: interpreting and explaining Chinese current status and its changes in historical perspective
Urbanisation: state-led urbanisation and consumption-led economic growth model
Environment & Public Health: sustainability and social justice
Nation & Nationalism: the impact of external empires on China and China’s status as an empire or nation-state
Gender & Education: exploring gender, challenges and reforms in modern and historical China, unequal distribution of educational resources
Modern & Traditional Culture: rethinking Chinese literature, music, folk art, film, language and other kinds of cultural representation
Science, Technology & Society: studies on scientific policy-making, relationship between new technology and politics, and social influence of Chinese development in science and technology
Business & Finance: the shadow banking system and government debt
Corporate Governance: markets and networks
Public Policy & Public Administration: the modernisation of China’s public sector
Chinese Communist Party: the nature of Xi Jinping’s power and its anti-corruption campaign
World-Systems & Foreign Affairs: foreign policy and the South China Sea issues
Greater China: Taiwanese presidential election, relationship between mainland China and Hong Kong, studies on overseas Chinese

We are open to submissions from all postgraduate students with an interest in China whose work fits within the wide range of academic disciplines within Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences (including Economic Sciences). Students from the United Kingdom and abroad are encouraged to apply. We also welcome panel submissions consisting of 3 to 4 speakers.

An up to £40 contribution towards travel expenses will be granted based on travel distance. The papers will be considered for publication as a special working papers volume by the Lau China Institute, King’s College London.

Abstracts should be no longer than 250 words and in English. Information enclosed with your abstract should include: theme, paper title, author name(s), institution, and email address. Abstracts should be sent to bpcsannualconference2016@gmail.com before 30th April 2016.

Main deadlines:
Submission of abstracts: 17th April 2016
Notification of acceptance: 20th May 2016
If you have any enquiries, please contact us via bpcsannualconference2016@gmail.com

 

Download this announcement as PDF : BPCS Call for Papers