09 Aug Interdisciplinary Sinophone Studies
Over the past decade, Sinophone studies, which first emerged in the discussions of literature, have garnered significant scholarly interest and have become a burgeoning field of research that transcends disciplinary boundaries. By exploring various Sinitic languages and cultures, “Sinophone” as a critical concept challenges the hegemony and homogeneity of “Chineseness,” thereby promoting a more inclusive way of examining marginalized Sinitic literatures, histories, cultures and communities. In essence, “Sinophone” brings together a variety of areas, including Taiwan, China, Hongkong, Singapore, Malaysia and overseas Sinitic-speaking communities within a more flexible framework, enabling the examination of the interrelationships and intrarelationships among these regions.
In light of this academic development, the “Interdisciplinary Sinophone Studies” Research Focus Group (RFG) aims to foster intellectually inclusive, creative, and rigorous conversations about the Sinophone world among faculty members and graduate students at UCSB. We envision “Interdisciplinary Sinophone Studies” as a vital site to explore scholarship on Sinophone studies and enhance interdisciplinary research. Additionally, we will extend our conversations to ongoing social issues and the rapidly changing political environment within the Sinophone world and beyond, such as cross-strait relations. Therefore, viewing Sinophone studies as a methodology of decentralization and decolonization, our group also attempts to critique not only “China-centrism” but also all forms of colonialist imposition, drawing attention to minorities, marginalities, and diversities. Specifically, we strive to explore the intersectionality between Sinophone studies and other fields, particularly literary studies, queer studies and sound studies, as well as the minoritized and racialized communities in local and transnational settings, such as Taiwanese, Hongkongers, Sinophone Americans, and Chinese Singaporeans.
Conveners:
Howard Chiang, East Asian Languages & Cultural Studies
howardchiang@ucsb.edu
Li-Ting Chang, East Asian Languages & Cultural Studies
lchang@ucsb.edu
Diandian Zeng, Music
diandian_zeng@ucsb.edu
