Transnational Cultures: Cultural Exchanges in the Global South and the Making of the Post-WWII World Order
Led by University of Exeter, June 2019
A two-day symposium titled ‘Transnational Cultures, Cultural Exchanges in the Global South and the Making of the Post-WWII World Order’ took place at the University of Exeter in June 2019
The main subject of investigation was the cultural entanglement within the Global South after World War II, which enriches understanding of the diversity of globalisation in the Cold War era. The project addressed historical, theoretical, and practical issues of cultural exchanges between China and the Global South nations since 1949.
By investigating the cultural entanglement within the Global South after the World War II, the hope was to 1) enrich understanding of the diversity of globalisation in the Cold War era; 2) reflect on the local experiences of decolonization and the envisioning of new world orders in a global context; and 3) bring out the significance and contemporary relevance of international cultural exchanges.
By drawing experiences from the theoretical and historical discussions, this project aimed to inform the practice of today’s cross-cultural communication and promote transnational/inter-regional mutual understanding.
Discussions with the Centre for Political Thought (Politics Department, University of Exeter) about the details of co-organising the workshop began in February 2019.
Chinese participants were invited in April 2019, with calls for additional participants sent out through three major networks, BACS, UKCHINA Historians, and H-Asia. By the end of May, four additional UK-based scholars were invited to the workshop. In the meantime, faculty members from History, English, Politics, and Modern Languages Departments at the University of Exeter were invited to join the workshop - all five invited members confirmed their attendance by late May.
The workshop programme was drafted in early June and distributed through mailing lists of: Global China Research Centre (Modern Languages Department, University of Exeter), Centre for Political Thought (Politics Department, University of Exeter), College of Humanities and College of Social Sciences.
The two-day workshop began and ended with a roundtable discussion. This format was commented by many participants as ‘innovative and the most inspiring’. Professor Regenia Gagnier commented on the quality of discussions and the selection of topics as ‘very thought-provoking’. She also considered the workshop as ‘one of the most well-organised workshops’ she attended in recent years.
Participants identified further external funding and publication opportunities which they wish to pursue. Following the symposium, participants planned to apply for an AHRC network grant to support the continuous discussion on common research interests identified. The group also plan to use a Chinese Ministry of Education grant to conduct a research project on the issue of cultural exchange within the global south after World War II.
