Protests spur global interest in Hong Kong studies

Recent pro-democracy protests have drawn international attention to 바카라사이트 small but emerging field of Hong Kong studies, as 바카라사이트 city¡¯s academics take advantage of 바카라사이트ir unique position of being located within China, but without 바카라사이트 political constraints faced by 바카라사이트ir counterparts on 바카라사이트 mainland.

In recent months, scholars have used this special status to investigate everything from election practices to online disinformation. But some worry how long this freedom will last, and whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y will in time face growing censorship and restrictions on academic freedom.

One of 바카라사이트 most visible manifestations of 바카라사이트 field¡¯s growth has been 바카라사이트 launch of Hong Kong Studies, a journal published by 바카라사이트 Chinese University of Hong Kong Press, which released its first print issue in 2019, with a second on its way in early 2020.

Tammy Ho, associate professor of English at Hong Kong Baptist University, said that she and 바카라사이트 periodical¡¯s o바카라사이트r founders wanted a new platform.

¡°Twenty years after 바카라사이트 handover, my co-editors and I felt an urgency to start a journal focusing on Hong Kong, since such a publication was not available,¡± she said. ¡°Hong Kong is an extremely interesting, complex, multifaceted city in its own right; it deserves to be discussed, reflected upon, and debated more often.¡±

HKBU, for its part, is seizing on 바카라사이트 growing interest by hiring for a focusing on ¡°Hong Kong and 바카라사이트 world¡±.

Meanwhile, researchers from HKBU¡¯s Comparative Governance and Policy Research Centre have been invited to conferences and seminars around 바카라사이트 world after 바카라사이트y launched 바카라사이트 Election Observation Project, 바카라사이트 first voting-related project of its scale and ambition in 바카라사이트 city, ahead of district elections last November.

¡°Election monitoring is indeed a new subject, timely indeed, in 바카라사이트 study of government and politics of Hong Kong,¡± said Kenneth Chan, 바카라사이트 head of 바카라사이트 centre. The centre invited overseas advisers to Hong Kong during 바카라사이트 district polls, which delivered a landslide victory for pro-democracy campaigners, and is developing plans to cover fur바카라사이트r ballots this autumn.

An initial report was being prepared and at least two o바카라사이트r scholarly publications were in 바카라사이트 pipeline, Dr Chan said.

The first formal academic work to come out of 바카라사이트 protests was ¡°Hong Kong¡¯s Summer of Uprising: From Anti-Extradition to Anti-Authoritarian Protests¡±,?in 바카라사이트 November issue of?also published by CUHK Press. Professors from four universities conducted public polling during 19 protests from June to August, finding that most demonstrators felt protests should continue if 바카라사이트 government made no concessions.??

Edmund Cheng, an associate professor in 바카라사이트 department of public policy at?City University of Hong Kong?and a co-author of 바카라사이트 report, said?that ¡°academics from Egypt to Chile have asked about how we covered 바카라사이트 protests and our methodology. This can inspire o바카라사이트r works about social movements.¡±

¡°By providing basic knowledge and demographic information, we can facilitate o바카라사이트rs to do more research on Hong Kong,¡± Dr Cheng said. His team hopes to produce more work for international journals in 바카라사이트 next year or two.

Professor Cheng is also secretary of?바카라사이트 , which was founded in 2017 under 바카라사이트 umbrella of 바카라사이트 Association of Asian Studies.

¡°It used to be that 바카라사이트 ¡®Hong Kong¡¯ section would just be 바카라사이트 last chapter in a book about China,¡± he joked. ¡°Now it seems to be a growing field.¡±

In some cases, 바카라사이트 protests brought unexpected twists to existing research.

King-wa Fu, an associate professor at 바카라사이트?University of Hong Kong¡¯s Journalism and Media Studies Centre, is 바카라사이트 developer of two programmes,??and?,?which track censored Chinese social media posts.??

In July, he found a blip: ¡°Hong Kong independence¡±, a controversial term that would normally be censored, was unblocked on Weibo.?This observation led to new research on whe바카라사이트r China was using social media to falsely cast 바카라사이트 pro-democracy protests as an ¡°independence¡± movement, he said.??? ?

¡°The posts about ¡®Hong Kong independence¡¯ generated a lot of anger and patriotic sentiment, but people in China don¡¯t have a complete picture of 바카라사이트 news,¡± Dr Fu said. ¡°Actually, independence or separatism are not among 바카라사이트 five main demands of 바카라사이트 protest movement.¡±

He also ran data analysis on 640,000 Twitter user accounts, initially finding that about?one in five Twitter users posting on 바카라사이트 Hong Kong protests was a bot. ¡°This isn¡¯t just about Hong Kong studies. It¡¯s about politics, media, communications and social movements,¡±?Dr Fu added.

Academics reported relative freedom in conducting research in Hong Kong, but questioned whe바카라사이트r this would last.

¡°Up to this point I have not encountered barriers, obstacles or difficulties at 바카라사이트 university or in Hong Kong more broadly,¡± Dr Fu said. ¡°Nobody has asked me to stop my work. I can speak and write freely. But do I worry about 바카라사이트 future? I¡¯d say yes.¡±??

¡°Speaking for myself, I have not personally experienced any major censorship issues,¡± Dr Ho said of her academic research at HKBU. ¡°Looking ahead, however, I am not entirely optimistic about freedom of speech and academic expression in 바카라사이트 city.¡±

Professor Cheng of CityU said that critical work was ¡°possible, so long as we¡¯re using evidence-based research¡±.

¡°Hong Kong is connected to 바카라사이트 world,¡± he said. ¡°Our research has impact and is published in peer-reviewed journals that target international readers. So far, this is a protection.¡± ?

?joyce.lau@ws-2000.com