St Antony’s College, Oxford University, 1 December 2012 (Sat)

Keynote speakers:
Steve Tsang (Professor of Contemporary Chinese Studies and Director of China Policy Institute, School of Contemporary Chinese, University of Nottingham)
David Clayton (Senior Lecturer in Modern History, Department of History, University of York)

On 26 January 1841, the British for the first time hoisted the Union Flag on Hong Kong Island; on 1 July 1997, the Union Flag was hoisted down, and the Five Star Red Flag and the Flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region were hauled up in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. While Hong Kong was beyond doubt a British colony for over 150 years, at present there has been a strong debate in academia and Hong Kong society on whether the “one-country, two-system” model really works, and whether the British handover of Hong Kong to the PRC government is the beginning of another story of colonisation.

The aim of this one-day conference is to invite scholars of different disciplines around the world to present and discuss the question in the conference title. The central issues of this conference are: What were the key elements of Hong Kong society under British rule? How did these elements change throughout the colonial period? How many of them have remained after the British handover of Hong Kong to Mainland China?

For those who are interested in the conference, please send an abstract of less than 300 words and a CV to Gary Chi-hung Luk (chi.luk@sant.ox.ac.uk), and state whether a paper would be submitted, by 15 October 2012. We will inform applicants of acceptance by 31 October 2012. Accepted presenters should submit a 20-minute paper (3,000 to 5,000 words) by 21 November 2012. A selection of conference papers may be published in an edited collection of essays.

Each presenter will be provided reimbursement for accommodation at Oxford University on the day prior to the conference and local travel expense. Presenters from outside the UK are strongly encouraged to apply for funding from their home institution for their international travel expense.