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Call for Publications
Theme: Chinese Identity in an Age of Anti-Asian Racism and #StopAsianHate
Publication: British Journal of Chinese Studies
Date: Vol. 11, No. 1 (January 2022)
Deadline: 15.8.2021
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, racism against Chinese and
other East and Southeast Asian communities has surged globally. At
the same time, Chinese communities in different parts of the world
have mobilised themselves to raise awareness of and fight against
Sinophobia and anti-Asian racism. Social media hashtags such as
#StopAsianHate or #StopAAPIHate have attracted a large following and
galvanised unprecedented political energy. In this process, we
observe a simultaneous mobilisation of and a conscious departure from
Chinese identity. Some people hold on to the notion of Chinese
identity, believing in its political and social relevance, whereas
others view the identity as clichéd and out of date, and with
suspicion and scepticism. Many harbour an ambivalent feeling towards
Chinese identity and remain undecided about what to do with it at
such an uncertain historical moment. Meanwhile, alternative identity
categories such as Asian, Asian American, Asian American Pacific
Islander (AAPI), East Asian, East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) and the
Sinophone have been mobilised to challenge a perceived homogenous and
hegemonic Chinese identity. All these have taken place in a global
pandemic and in the context of a fast-changing global geopolitics,
where world political maps are being redrawn and cultural identities
are being reimagined.
At the current historical conjuncture, how is Chinese identity
understood and used in different ways? How do we understand the
ambivalent attitudes towards Chinese identity and even the conscious
departure from it? Is ‘Chinese’ still a useful category for political
mobilisation and scholarly analysis? How can we use it in capacious,
productive, and non-essentialised ways? What are some of the major
critical positions and possible alternatives? How can we make sense
of the heterogeneity of Chinese experiences on the one hand and the
strategic mobilisation of a transnational Chinese or Asian identity
on the other? What are the convergences and divergences of Chinese
experiences in different parts of the world during the pandemic? How
can people living inside and outside China talk to and understand
each other’s disparate concerns and distinct politics? How can we
talk about China and against Sinophobia without sounding or feeling
guilty, apologetic or defensive? How do we make use of the term
‘Chinese’ without losing our critical stance towards both China and
the West?
For Chinese Studies, the stakes of the above questions cannot be
higher at the current historical moment. We therefore invite Chinese
and Asian Studies scholars – broadly defined – to take stock and
offer critical reflections on these questions in the format of short
position papers:
https://bjocs.site/index.php/bjocs/announcement/view/2
You may answer one or more of these questions – or indeed any other –
from the perspective of your specific research expertise in no more
than 1,000-1,500 words. This can be submitted either as article or as
audio recording (mp3). Audio recordings should be scripted and clear,
at a reasonable speed, following the same word limit. Examples of
position papers can be found on the British Journal of Chinese
Studies website. See a collection of position papers (essays) on the
topic of ‘What use is Chinese studies in a pandemic?’ in Volume 10 of
the journal: https://bjocs.site/index.php/bjocs/issue/view/14
While these short contributions will not go through peer review, we
will nonetheless apply editorial oversight to ensure balanced
contributions from as many different perspectives as possible.
This collection of position papers will be published in the January
2022 issue of the British Journal of Chinese Studies. Submissions
should be made via the journal’s online system and should follow the
style guide: https://bjocs.site/index.php/bjocs/about/submissions
Please specify ‘position paper’ in your submission.
Please submit your contribution by 15 August 2021.
Please contact Dr Hongwei Bao (hongwei.bao@nottingham.ac.uk) or
Professor Gerda Wielander (G.Wielander@westminster.ac.uk ) with any
questions you may have.
Journal website:
https://bjocs.site