2017 Summer Chinese Text and Translation Workshop

New Materials and Inter-disciplinary Methods
of Studying Twentieth-century Chinese History:
Issues of Governance in Contemporary China
July 16-22, 2017
Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Deadline: March 31, 2017

The UCLA Asia Pacific Center invites applications by students from all disciplines who are interested in using newly available county-level archival materials from the mid-20th century to study the formation and implementation of government policies in local situations. An ever- increasing amount of new archival material on Chinese history, especially post-1949 history, is being amassed by scholars in China. This year the University of Chicago joins in organizing this workshop, which has been held annually since 2013. Participants will undertake intensive reading and study of a selection of such new materials collected by faculty and students at SJTU for which new scholarship in Chinese has begun to emerge. While reading archival sources is essential to historical research, these Chinese county-level materials should also be useful to anthropology, economics, political science and sociology students as well as those pursuing cultural studies in other disciplines who choose to examine the interface between discourse and political practice. An important goal of the workshop is to develop international cohorts of young scholars.

This six-day intensive summer reading and translation workshop will be held at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and led jointly by Cao Shuji, Professor of History at SJTU, R. Bin Wong, Distinguished Professor of History at UCLA, and Jacob Eyferth, Associate Professor of Modern Chinese History in East Asian Languages and Civilizations, History, and the College, University of Chicago. The workshop is intended to serve students developing dissertation topics in an environment that brings together International and Chinese-based graduate students. Sessions will be conducted in a combination of Chinese and English languages.

Workshop Topic: Issues of Governance in Contemporary China
Governance is a subject discussed widely in both Chinese and international contexts with some common ideas and much that is distinct to these different discourses. Our intent is to show how the term can be used to evaluate material in local Chinese archives in ways that might help us relate Chinese practices to those in other countries. The materials chosen for the 2017 workshop will include a selection of those for which secondary scholarship that uses the materials can be read, and those which a wide-ranging concept of governance can embrace.

Schedule
July 16: Arrival and registration
July 17: Welcome
Orientation to archival materials for international students
July 18-21: Reading material, discussion, group work, presentations
July 22: Group outing
July 23: Check out and departure

Eligibility
Graduate students at both the dissertation planning stage and those who are advanced to candidacy are encouraged to apply. Participants must have advanced proficiency of spoken and written Chinese to be prepared to learn to read handwritten archival materials and discuss in a bilingual environment. Students from all social science disciplines are encouraged to apply, including history, political science, anthropology, sociology, and others. A basic background understanding of contemporary Chinese history (1949-present) is recommended. Students of all national/citizenship origin are welcome.

To Apply
Applicants should submit a short statement of their research interests and how this workshop would fit into their training. Include a statement of your Chinese language background and reading level. A recommendation letter from the student’s faculty advisor is also required.

▪ Institutions outside of China: Applicants enrolled in or affiliated with institutions outside of mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong or Macau must apply to the UCLA Asia Pacific Center. Application materials should be submitted online (click here).

▪ People's Republic of China: Applicants enrolled in or hired by institutions in the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan should submit their applications to Dr. Zhao Siyuan (赵思渊) at SJTUhistory@126.com.

Applications due March 31, 2017

Registration
A workshop fee of $350 is required for all international participants. A non-refundable deposit of $50 will be required upon acceptance to the program, with the balance due by June 1, 2017.

Housing
Participants will live in twin rooms in an economy hotel near campus, and SJTU will cover the cost. Single rooms may be requested for an additional fee, paid by the participant. Meal cards will also be available upon arrival.

Participants are expected to pay their own travel costs. International graduate students are encouraged to apply to their home institutions for funding to cover travel and workshop costs.

For questions about the workshop, please contact Prof. Bin Wong at rbwong@international.ucla.edu.
For questions about registration, please contact Elizabeth Leicester at eleicester@international.ucla.edu.