Marginality and Migration: Narratives of Resilience and Belonging

Day 1: 25^th July, 2024 (Thursday) 15:00 – 19:00 (HKT)
Day 2: 26^th July, 2024 (Friday) 09:00 – 18:00 (HKT)
Format: Hybrid
Venue: Eileen L. Tsui Student Activities Room, Hong Kong Baptist University

The Marginalized Population Studies Network is delighted to announce its first conference theme: “Marginality and Migration: Narratives of Resilience and Belonging”. Organized in Hong Kong Baptist University, the conference will be held in a hybrid form from 25th-26th July 2024.

As a group of researchers across various disciplines in the arts and visual arts, we have worked to create multifaceted and impactful outcomes that explore and expand on the concept of marginality in our society, locally and globally. We define marginalized populations as individuals whose social, economic, cultural, and political identities limit their ability to participate and engage fully in society. Their voices are often unheard, stories untold, rendering them invisible. The term also covers intersectionalities on an array of marginalized groups and the roles they play and (re)enact to survive in society. The spectrum of roles, positions, and marginalities that these potential podcasters display vary in gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, disability, occupation, age, language, and body. 

In today’s polarized world, it is more important than ever to study the meanings and impacts of various forms of marginalization. The conference draws on values from the arts and responds to the theme of well-being, value, and the public good. It is concerned with the well-being of vulnerable groups, and aims to extend understanding and cultivate empathy to bring about social cohesion and positive impact. We look at research and practices that are impactful to communities involved and have currency on the global scene, especially in embracing cross-cultural understandings and engaging with multiple perspectives in world building.

Having launched a successful Comic and Podcast titled “Untold Stories of Hong Kong”, in December 2023, the Marginalized Population Studies Network wishes to create a platform for researchers and practitioners of marginalization studies from Hong Kong, Asia, and beyond to share their insights, knowledge, and experiences of and from their respective fields. 

Keynote speakers:

• Dr. Gcina Mhlophe (South African Poet and Storyteller, Founding Director of  Gcinamasiko Arts & Heritage Trust)
• Prof. Gordon Mathews (Research Professor & Emeritus Professor in Anthropology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

Speakers:

• Ms. Ailenemae Ramos (Migrant Writers of Hong Kong)
• Ms. Lynette Nam (Justice Centre Hong Kong)
• Mr. Jeffrey Andrews (Christian Action Centre for Refugees)
• Mr. Innocent Mutanga (Africa Center Hong Kong)
• Dr. Daisy DS Tam (Hong Kong Baptist University)
• Dr. Helena Wu (The University of British Columbia) 
• Prof. Lisa Yuk-ming Leung (Lingnan University Hong Kong)
• Dr. Evelyn Kwok (Hong Kong Baptist University)
• Prof. Hans J Ladegaard (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University) 
• Dr. Clara Chuan Yu (Hong Kong Baptist University)
• Dr. Emily Shun Man Chow-Quesada (Hong Kong Baptist University)
• Prof. Duncan James Poupard (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)
• Prof. Darryl Cameron Sterk (Lingnan University Hong Kong)
• Dr. Marija Todorova (Hong Kong Baptist University)
• Mr. John Outsider (Iranian Writer, Poet, Filmmaker, and Asylum Seeker)
• Ms. Justyna Kabala (University of the Arts London)