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About SHKS

Society for Hong Kong Studies (SHKS) is a non-profit, non-partisan, independent professional association based in Hong Kong. Formed in 2017 by more than 250 academics in 21 countries, the SHKS serves as a global platform for the multi-disciplinary and inter-institutional study of Hong Kong.

Our main objective is to facilitate local and international dialogues and collaborations among scholars and students of Hong Kong history, politics, society and culture.

Through building a scholarly community across the social sciences and the humanities, we also hope to encourage the development of new theories, concepts, and methods of studying Hong Kong, its relations to China, Asia and beyond.

As an official affiliate of the Association for Asian Studies, SHKS has developed collaborative relationships with other initiatives devoted to Hong Kong Studies. These include the Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Studies Initiatives at the University of British Columbia, and the Academy of Hong Kong Studies at the Hong Kong Education University.

Institutional Collaboration

SHKS collaborate with other local and overseas institutions sharing our mission of promoting Hong Kong Studies. These collaborations take the form of joint organisation of conferences, workshops and lecture series. We have most recently co-organised a very successful talk series, namely Global Hong Kong: Lessons from Elsewhere Speakers Series, with Global China Center of HKUST in the 2020-2021 academic year.

Work-in-Progress Workshop

Work-in-Progress Workshops provide a supportive and stimulating platform for SHKS members to obtain feedback on their work from fellow academics regardless of disciplines and institutional affiliations. Each workshop features a presenter, whose work will be circulated before the meeting to a limited number of pre-registered participants. You are very welcomed to submit works-in-progress of all types, including short think pieces, book chapters and articles. Work-in-Progress Workshops are held regularly every Friday throughout the academic year.

Thematic and Methodological Workshop

SHKS invite senior scholars from overseas and local universities to offer short-term intensive workshops targeting junior faculties and graduate students. These workshops are organised around a substantive field or a research methodology and their application to Hong Kong Studies.

Public Lecture Series

SHKS organises public lectures gearing toward a lay audience and given by an individual or a panel of scholars on all fields of Hong Kong studies. Topics will range from history, literature, films, media, pop culture, sports to economics, law, criminal justice, social policies and politics. Public engagement between the Hong Kong public and the academic community is mutually beneficial as it keeps the public informed and academics grounded. SHKS can take advantage of its large overseas membership base to include international scholars visiting Hong Kong as speakers in this series.

Meet our Executive Board

The SHKS Executive Board is the executive organ of the Society. The Board consists of a Chairperson, a co-Chairperson, an Immediate-past Chairperson, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and Members-at-large. The Board is elected by members and serves for a three-year term.