The “Global China, Local Cultures” research team at the Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences has been assessing the nature and dynamics of localized cultural interactions on the BRI. This session will feature presentations by three members of the team: David A. Palmer will discuss The Religious Factor on the Belt and Road, outlining three levels of religious dynamics at the local, transnational and geo-political levels. Joseba Estevez will discuss Infrastructures and Cosmological Frictions in Northern Laos, examining how the Lanten Yao and other ethnic groups engage with the rapidly expanding railway, hydro, and economic development infrastructures in the “Golden Triangle”. Rundong Ning’s presentation will focus on Marketing Africa, examining how Chinese businesspeople represent Africa on Chinese livestreaming and short-video platforms.

Presenter: David A. Palmer

David A. Palmer (Ph.D., Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris) is Professor of Anthropology, jointly appointed by the Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences and the Department of Sociology at the University of Hong Kong. His award-winning books include Qigong Fever: Body, Science and Utopia in China (Columbia University Press), The Religious Question in Modern China (University of Chicago Press, co-authored with V. Goossaert), and Dream Trippers: Global Daoism and the Predicament of Modern Spirituality (University of Chicago Press, co-authored with E. Siegler). His research focuses on the sociology and anthropology of religion and spirituality in China, civil society, and transnational interactions along China’s Belt and Road.

Presenter: Joseba Estévez

Dr. Joseba Estévez is a social anthropologist and Research Assistant Professor at the “Asian Religious Connections” cluster, Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Hong Kong. His research interests include ritual, cosmology, exchange, animism, Daoism, and social transformation in mainland Southeast Asia. He leads the YAO DAO Project and directs digital archiving and Smart Cities research initiatives in Laos and Southeast Asia.

Presenter: Rundong Ning

Dr. Rundong Ning is an RGC Post-doctoral Fellow at the Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Hong Kong. His research interests include work and labor, entrepreneurship, volunteerism, and the digital economy. His current research focuses on China-Kenya connections in the digital economy and entrepreneurship in Congo-Brazzaville. His publications appear in Current Anthropology, Economic Anthropology, American Journal of Cultural Sociology, African Studies Review, Africa, and other leading outlets.

Moderator: Jonathan Pettit

Jonathan Pettit is an Associate Professor in Daoism at the Department of Religions & Ancient Civilizations at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa.