Hong Kong : geopolitics and intellectual practice

Abstract

This article illustrates how different geopolitical factors shaped the growth of Hong Kong studies. Focusing on the close relation between geopolitics and intellectual practice, this study scrutinizes the acceptance of Hong Kong as a legitimate research object during the British colonial era and the gradual marginalization of Hong Kong studies after 1997. It analyzes the change of research paradigms, conceptual frameworks and narrative practices in the field of Hong Kong studies in relation to colonial encounter, Cold War politics, and the rise of global Empire. It singles out a critical paradox of how the field of Hong Kong studies frequently sets Hong Kong into appearance and disappearance at the same time. This study concludes with some preliminary suggestions for applying an alternative approach to the continuity of Hong Kong studies.