Hong Kong Studies Webinar
Tuesday, 19 May 2020, 17:00 (Pacific Daylight Time)
The Hong Kong Diaspora in the Age of Protests
Dr. Simon Shen 沈旭暉博士
via Zoom
A City in Protest event
Registration required
The recent decision by the government to arrest fifteen prominent pro-democracy leaders is a clear reminder that, despite Covid-19, political turmoil in Hong Kong is ongoing. While much of the action has taken place in situ, a notable feature of the protests in the Special Administrative Region has been the active participation and support of overseas Hong Kongers, many of whom have organized rallies, petitioned the governments of their adopted countries, and provided both moral and material support to the protestors. But who are these overseas Hong Kongers? Is it useful to think of them as a “diaspora”? And to what extent could they be considered a (political) force? Perhaps most important, as the city seems to be stuck in a stalemate, what roles could overseas Hong Kongers play in the future of Hong Kong?
Dr. Simon Shen 沈旭暉 (B.A., M.A., Yale University; D. Phil., University of Oxford) is a scholar of international relations, an entrepreneur, and a public intellectual. Prior to entering the business world, Dr. Shen had taught at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the University of Hong Kong, among others, and he had served as a part-time member of the Central Policy Unit of the Hong Kong SAR Government. Dr. Shen has contributed frequently to local and international media and has maintained a personal Facebook page with more than 250,000 followers.
This seminar is organized by the UBC Hong Kong Studies Initiative and is co-sponsored by: Department of Asian Studies, Department of History, Centre for Chinese Research, and Vancouver Hong Kong Forum Society.
Register here.
