The One and Many Silk Roads: The Art of Imagining a Common Future

The Hong Kong Jockey Club University of Chicago Academic Complex | The University of Chicago Francis and Rose Yuen Campus in Hong Kong
168 Victoria Road, Mount Davis
Hong Kong

The Belt Road Initiative is often dubbed the 21st Century Silk Road, inspired by the "spirit of the ancient Silk Road" and the vision of a "shared past and common future."

Taking a cue from the ancient Silk Road in constructing an agenda for collective development has brought in a new wave of interest in the Silk Road itself. Silk Road revivals are everywhere: from archeological digs in Kenya and Cambodia, to (re)drawings of maps of global connections; and from UNESCO Silk Road heritage applications to academic conferences and New York Times bestsellers.

But "the" Silk Road was never just about China's past connections and presence in the world. Other cultures and communities can similarly stake Silk Road claims. What are some of the other stories about the Silk Road? How do they differ and how are they accommodated into the 21st century vision of shared past and common future?"

Professor Richard Payne of the University of Chicago has curated the mini-series “Silk Road Imaginaries” and brought together scholars of the polities and cultures traditionally associated with the Silk Road in order to theorize premodern representations of the circulation of commodities and concepts within cosmopolitan economies.

This talk draws on the visual displays and narratives of the Silk Road staged as part of the "Sharing a Common Future" exhibit in Beijing in 2019 in order to interrogate the complementary and competing imaginaries of the Silk Road past. The talk argues the art of imagining a common future entails the validation and endorsement of such competing and dissonant tales of the past.

Organized by the Silk Road Imaginaries research project at the Neubauer Collegium in partnership with the University of Chicago Campus in Hong Kong.

Speaker:
Marina Jose Kaneti
Assistant Professor, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
National University of Singapore
 

Interlocutors:
Richard Payne
Associate Professor of History, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, ISAC, and the College
The University of Chicago

Enze Han
Associate Professor, Department of Politics and Public Administration
The University of Hong Kong

In-person event  
Program  
6:15 – 6:30 pm  Registration  
6:30 – 7:10 pm  Talk by Professor Marina Kaneti 
7:10 – 7:40 pm  Q&A session moderated by Professor Richard Payne 
7:40 pm            Event ends  

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*Kindly note that no parking spaces are available on campus.

About China On The Move

China On The Move is a program developed by the University of Chicago Campus in Hong Kong to provide objective academic insights into current events shaping China and its future as a global actor. Our UChicago scholars and their guests will share their deep expertise and interpret contemporary events from historical, social, political, economic and other perspectives to provide a balanced view of China. Read More