GLOCOL Seminar (31)

Research on Overseas Chinese today faces fundamental questions regarding how to define and identify who "Overseas Chinese" and "people of Chinese descent" are. Contrary to the dynamic outward images of "Overseas Chinese networks" and Overseas Chinese as "talented business people", such questions lead to complicated issues concerning creolization and dual identities, and consequently lead to the problemitization of modernity.

Studies of Overseas Chinese include the question of relationship between the place of origin and place of migration. In addition, there are complex patterns of movement among Overseas Chinese who re-migrate, integrate into local society, or Sinicize. Previous studies on Overseas Chinese have adopted a wide range of approaches including history, geography, economics, politics, literature, and international relations. However, in order to understand the problems we face today, we need to integrate the various specialized fields.

This seminar aims to investigate the possibilities of research on the complex issues surrounding contemporary Overseas Chinese from an anthropological perspective. We invite two young scholars to give lectures and call upon specialists from many academic disciplines to discuss the future direction of anthropological research on Overseas Chinese.