27–29th Nov 2025
Trier University, Germany
Deadline: 31st Mar 2025
The China-Europe Research Platform on Chinese Migration to and Beyond Europe (CERPE) is delighted to announce the 8th annual workshop, which will focus on the multifaceted phenomenon of Chinese migration and the complex negotiations of identities by Sinophone diasporas. This workshop seeks to deepen our understanding of transnational Chinese migrations and cultural representations from a broad spectrum of perspectives.
Historically, Chinese migration has been driven by diverse motivations, ranging from economic pursuits like the mid-19th century Gold Rush in the United States, to seeking educational and entrepreneurial opportunities in the 20th century and beyond. In contemporary times, despite challenges such as geopolitical conflicts, economic downturns, and policies promoting decoupling and isolationism, Sinophone diasporas continue to evolve and diversify. This has resulted also in novel diasporic and societal responses in countries of migration destinations.
Moreover, advancements in technology have catalyzed the formation of dynamic online communities and have fostered a rich variety of cultural and artistic expressions among Chinese migrants and their descendants. These expressions manifest across multiple platforms, including literature, fine arts, and digital media, and play a pivotal role in shaping communication and contemporary representations of Chineseness abroad. These depictions are crucial for understanding how Chinese and non-Chinese creators alike negotiate concepts of home and identity on local, national, and global scales.
The 8th CERPE workshop invites junior and senior researchers within and outside the CERPE network to submit papers exploring both historical and contemporary aspects of Chinese migration and identity constructions. We are particularly interested in contributions that examine, but are not limited to, the following topics:
· The ongoing developments of Chinese migrations to Europe, North America, and beyond.
· The role of digital media, literary works, popular music, and film in expressing and shaping Sinophone identities abroad.
· Historic and contemporary representation of Sinophone (diasporic) identities and cultural encounters in Europe, North America and elsewhere
· China’s diaspora policies and governance
· Diasporic education, associations and media
· Sinophone transnational business networks
· Sinophone migrants’ social mobility and political activism
· Sinophone migrants in a family and generation perspective
We encourage scholars working in relevant fields to submit paper proposals that bridge different methodologies and disciplines, offering new insights into Chinese migrations and identity negotiations. This workshop aims to foster intergenerational and interdisciplinary dialogue and contribute to a richer understanding of Sinophone diasporic experiences.
We invite 200-400 word abstracts for 20-minute papers and a short biographical note in English to cerpe2025(at)uni-trier.de by 31 March 2025. The working language of the workshop will be English.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Convenors: Kristin Shi-Kupfer (Chinese Studies) & Ralf Hertel (English Studies)
Contact:
China Institute University of Trier (CIUT)
University of Trier
54286 Trier, Germany
Email: sino(at)uni-trier.de
Tel. +49 651 201-3203
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