In recent years, the concept of “information” has garnered substantial scholarly attention in the studies of the Sinographic world, appearing as an analytical framework in disciplines such as history, literature, and cultural studies. For literature scholars, information forms a vital dimension of literary practice by shaping the form, meaning, and even the aesthetics of creative works (Chen et al. 2021; Liu 2019). Meanwhile, historians have begun to explore dynamic transformations in the “information order” of various eras (Kuzuoğlu 2023; Harrison 2021; De Weerdt 2016).
We believe the time is ripe to reflect upon and reassess this analytical framework and its leverage within China studies. To this end, we are convening this workshop for a group of graduate students and scholars to collectively examine the following questions in the context of their own research: Why has the adoption of “information” as an analytical lens lured the interest of so many scholars in recent years? What new insights and approaches has this lens contributed to China studies, so far? What risks does the lure of information potentially pose, perhaps in the form of methodological blindspots or the reading of source materials?
The workshop will consist of four to six Zoom sessions (approximately once a month), with each meeting centered on two draft dissertation chapters from participants. We encourage participants to attend as many sessions as possible. Additionally, the workshop will feature three hybrid-format keynote lectures by leading scholars in this emerging subfield: Hilde De Weerdt (KU Leuven), Paize Keulemans (Princeton University), and Uluğ Kuzuoğlu (Washington University in St. Louis). Together, we will reconceptualize the notion of information, critically assess its relevance and limitations, and explore new methodological tools and interdisciplinary approaches for studying information in this context.
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