Lecture Series Fall 2017-18 Redefining Fieldwork in Contemporary China: From Dakou to D.I.Y.: The Punk-rock Movement in Contemporary China
Dr. Nathanel Amar
Society of Fellows in the Humanities Lecture Series Fall 2017-18
The inaugural series of lectures “Redefining Fieldwork in Contemporary China”, organised by the Society of Fellows in the Humanities, will present new field research on material culture in contemporary China. The lectures share a focus on grassroots production and the consumption of popular culture in mainland China. In a context of political tension about the use of culture, the speakers will explore the creative mechanism of non-official culture, using multi-disciplinary approaches and demonstrating the significance of new types of fieldwork.
Date26 October 2017 (Thursday)
Time5-6:30 PM
VenueSeminar Room 1101, 11/F Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus
This lecture will address the issue of non-official cultural production in contemporary mainland China, using the example of the punk-rock movement. The development of the punk scene was stimulated in the 1990s by the appearance of dakou CDs and tapes, sold on Chinese main cities’ black market. In a political regime that tightly controls cultural production, Chinese punks had to rely on their own strengths to produce CDs, posters or fanzine. Hence, this lecture will explain how Chinese punks used the D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) philosophy, to produce and release underground material contents.
Dr. Nathanel Amar is a Post-doctoral fellow in the Society of Fellows in the Humanities at the University of Hong Kong. His PhD was centered on Chinese underground counter-culture communities. His current research focuses on the political uses of culture and identity politics in contemporary China.