Early Career Researcher in China Studies Workshops

MCI Early Career Researcher (ECR) in China Studies workshops are an informal, multidisciplinary forum for ECRs studying Greater China to present their research and receive constructive feedback from more experienced faculty and their peers. Each event comprises a thirty-minute presentation from the speaker and a subsequent Q&A session, with a bespoke audience.

Overview of MCI's Spring 2024 ECR Workshops.
Induction - Presentation Skills for China Studies ECRs.
William Hu on China's Social Credit System.
Thomas Flavel on Cosmopolitan Culture among Chinese Urban Youth.
Melody Zhang on Left-Behind Children's Life Trajectories in China.
Elisa Gambino on Chinese Investment in West Africa.
Mark Czeller on Class Enemies in Maoist China.
Xiaomeng Li on Guofeng Framings of Boys’ Love TV Series in China.

Spring 2024 ECR talks

(Open to affiliated faculty, postdocs, PhD & postgrad students only)

Induction: Presentation Skills for China Studies ECR
Dr Xiaobing Wang, Dr Rian Thum, Dr William Zhengdong Hu; 8 February 2024

The Fate of Entrepreneurs under China’s Social Credit System
Dr William Zhengdong Hu, Keele University; 15 February 2024

Cosmopolitan Culture & Subculture among Urban Chinese Youth
Dr Thomas Flavel, University of Manchester; 22 February 2024

How the Hukou, Gender, and Digital Divides Shape Left-Behind Children’s Life Trajectories in China
Melody Zhang, University of Manchester; 29 February 2024

Transnational Networks & the Internationalisation of Chinese Private Capital in West Africa
Dr Elisa Gambino, University of Manchester; 7 March 2024

Growth without Development: Climate Discourses in the Business Sector in China
Dr Yuting Yao, University of Sheffield; 14 March 2024

‘Non-People’ in the People’s Republic: Class Enemies in Maoist China
Dr Mark Czellér, University of London; 11 April 2024

’Guofeng’ (National Style) Framings of Boys' Love Television Series in China
Dr Xiaomeng Li, Shanghai International Studies University; 18 April 2024

ECR Induction – Exploring Chinese Studies.
Dr Aoife Cantrill on textiles in Zhang Ailing’s Wartime Writing.
Dr Bruce Bao on Western Views of China in Natural Language.
Ke Ma on Whiteness in China's Fashion Modelling Industry.
Pengfei Xu on the Evolution of China's Social Credit System.
Dr Federica Mirra on rethinking Xi Jinping’s China Dream through visual arts.
Feiyang Xu on Alibaba's Expansion in Southeast Asia.
Ruoning Chen on Digital Nationalism in China.
Dr Edwin Jiang on Chinese identity in the People’s Republic.

MCI postdoctoral researcher Dr Tao Wang created the ECR workshop series in 2019. Politics PhD students Qiaochu Zhang, Chengzhi Zhang, and Feiyang Xu have run it since 2022.

ECR workshops are held in-person at the Manchester China Institute (The Lee Building, 178 Waterloo Place). We invite research postdocs, PhD students, and other early-career scholars to submit proposals for presentations of any topic related to China Studies/the Chinese-speaking world. We are interested in a wide range of topics, ranging from social sciences to linguistics, science, technology, arts, and many more.

If you are interested in presenting at our ECR workshops, please submit the following details to mci@manchester.ac.uk

  • Applicant’s full name;
  • Bio, brief (include academic title, institution, profile picture);
  • Talk title (75 characters max.; capturing the topic/research question on China);
  • Abstract (200 words max.);
  • Availability throughout the current academic year.

Our ECR convenors will review your application and aim to reply to you within a week from submission. Please also consult our guidelines for successful applicants before your presentation is due.