Oxford, United Kingdom
4th Jul 2025
Deadline: 9th May 2025
The organisers Jacob Fordham (London School of Economics and Political Science), Simon Lam (University of Oxford) and Paul Napier (University of Oxford) invite proposals for a workshop to take place in Oxford, United Kingdom, on 4 July 2025.
The “History of South China: Sources, Methods, and New Approaches” workshop aims to bring together contributions which utilize new sources, methods, and approaches in exploring the many histories of the South China region, including Macau and Hong Kong, across all periods. It caters to the growing interest amongst historians of China based in the United Kingdom and Europe on histories from below, often through the foregrounding of local and regional voices. Moving away from perspectives of the “nation-state” and “party-state”, the workshop instead seeks to emphasise the diversity of local and regional voices that often become subsumed in traditional national-level narratives.
The workshop also aims to examine the broader applicability of innovative methodologies developed by scholars working on this region. Reflecting the imperative to develop historiographical methods that draw more fully on non-Western experiences and concepts, this workshop draws on innovative historiographical methods self-consciously derived from and rooted in South China itself, such as the ‘South China school’ (Hua’nan Xuepai), ‘Luso-Asian history’ (história luso-asiática), ‘Macaology’ (Aomenxue) and Hong Kong Studies. Investigating relationships between state and locality, the evolution of local identity, along with transregional and transnational connections, the workshop encourages a rethinking of “South China” as a geographical, political, cultural and intellectual construct.
Drawing upon these themes, we are delighted to have Professor Ching May Bo, Head of Department of Chinese and History at the City University of Hong Kong, deliver a keynote address titled: “Why ‘South China’ (and Why Not)”.
The workshop welcomes proposals for 20-25 minute papers on themes such as:
• Local and regional experiences, connections, and identities in South China and beyond
• The impact of local and regional histories on scholarly discussions about modernity, identity, and periodisation in Chinese history
• How local and regional histories reflect historical developments on a national, transnational and global scale
• The use of ‘South China school’, ‘Luso-Asian history’, ‘Macaology’ and Hong Kong Studies methodologies and approaches in South China and beyond
Please submit a 250-word abstract and a brief bio (100 words) by 9 May 2025 via the form here: https://bit.ly/HistoryofSouthChinaCfP. We aim to notify the results by 13 May 2025.
Information also available on our website: https://bit.ly/HistoryofSouthChina, and enquiries can be directed to historyofsouthchina@gmail.com.
Download this announcement’s official PDF: