Annual Conference 2026
The Hong Kong Studies Association is pleased to announce its annual conference for 2026 with the theme (Un)Settling Hong Kong: Local, Global, and Glocal Futures.
(Un)Settling Hong Kong asks how Hong Kong, the identities of Hongkongers, and Hong Kong Studies as a field are being reshaped amid rapidly changing conditions. Marking the fifth anniversary of the BN(O) scheme in the United Kingdom, the conference examines how the shift from migration to settlement transforms experiences of belonging, community, and cultural life for Hongkongers abroad. At the same time, the introduction of the National Security Law and intensifying integration with mainland China are remaking Hong Kong’s cultural, social, and imaginary landscapes, raising urgent questions not only about identity and culture but also about the wider future of Hong Kong research. This smaller Hong Kong Studies Association conference invites concise, empirically grounded, and/or conceptually innovative papers on how Hong Kong is remembered, lived, governed, represented, and studied today, across local, global, and (g)local contexts.
A number of panels will be organised by Hong Kong Studies Association special interest groups, and other panels will be open to individual paper submissions aligned with the themes below.
Theme 1: Settling, Belonging, and Hongkonger Lives
This theme examines how Hongkongers negotiate belonging, citizenship, and everyday life across local, global, and (g)local settings. We welcome work on migration, BN(O) settlement, community formation, evolving identities, and the emotional, legal, and material dimensions of being “un/settled”.
Theme 2: Money, Erasure, and (Not) Forgetting Hong Kong
This theme considers what is remembered, obscured, or silenced in narratives of Hong Kong, at home and abroad. Papers may address cultural memory, archives, heritage, media, and the politics of treating Hong Kong as a “forgotten” or closed case.
Theme 3: Culture, Space, Design, and Trans-Border Orders
This theme brings together cultural production, urban and landscape change, design practices, and Politics and International Relations. We invite research on everyday cross-border mobilities, integration with mainland China, global cultural routes, and how shifting geopolitical and economic orders shape Hong Kong’s local, global, and (g)local futures.
Paper Submission: Proposals should be submitted via this form by 10 March 2026.
Proposals for individual papers should include:
- Title of the paper
- Abstract (300 words) with 5 keywords
- Short bio with contact information
Proposals for panels (of three papers) should include:
- Title of the panel
- Title and abstract (300 words) with 5 keywords for each paper
- Short bio and contact information of each speaker
We will also have a designated panel for PhD papers. PhD papers should include:
- Title of the paper
- Abstract (300 words) with 5 keywords
- Short bio and contact information
Selected PhD speakers will be invited to submit their full papers (6000 words) by 25 May 2026. Each PhD paper will be matched with a reviewer. PhD speakers will receive a travel subsidy of £50 and compete for the Best PhD paper award. The top two papers will be awarded prizes.
We welcome submissions from academics at all stages of their career, as well as artists and practitioners. We especially encourage submissions from postgraduate students and early career scholars, and papers that focus on or comparatively study the UK context.
Key Dates and Links
Deadline for proposals: 10 March 2026
Notification of decision: 20 March 2026
Registration opens: 4 May 2026
Registration closes: 5 June 2026
Submission form: https://forms.gle/oJJrDLtKzR4bF12z7
Registration information will be announced in due course.
This event is co-sponsored by the Hong Kong Studies Association (HKSA), the Hong Kong Studies Hub and the University of Surrey
This event is co-organised by Terry Au-Yeung (Leiden University), Elaine Chung (Cardiff University), Kin Long Tong (UCL), Eva Li (KCL), Malte Kaeding (University of Surrey), and Wayne Wong (University of Sheffield).