[HKAS Seminar] Is Death the End? Senses of Life After Death in Guangdong and Hong Kong

Title: Is Death the End? Senses of Life After Death in Guangdong and Hong Kong
Speaker: Kwong Miu Ying (Mphil student, Department of Anthropology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong)
Date and time: 2 July 2015, 7:00pm 
Venue: Lecture Hall, Ground Floor, 100 Chatham Road, Tsim Sha Tsui 

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Death poses an ultimate threat to our lives and our sense of security in this world. Life after death has always been a point of concern among people in different parts of the world and various religions and local beliefs offer diverse depictions of what an afterlife is like. This talk explores how individuals in Guangdong and Hong Kong envision what will happen to them after they die. Guangdong, like many other parts of China went through the socialist era when religions and supernatural beliefs and practices were banned. While the atheist education in that period has produced numbers of non-believers in the afterlife and even atheists, many seem to be increasingly interested in this issue since the reform era. Graveyard and related businesses are now heavily invested in. Offerings for the deceased have grown in variety to include the most up-to-date models of cell phones. What do these trends tell us about changes in senses of afterlife among Chinese in recent decades? Compared to Guangdong, people in Hong Kong have enjoyed relative religious freedom, although the government favored Christianity among other religions under the colonial rule. Its historical trajectory gives rise to a different scene in terms of senses of life after death. Based on months of in-depth interviews, this talk addresses individuals’ deepest fears and how they tackle them with or without an imagination of an afterlife.

The lecture is conducted in English. All are welcome. (Space, however, is limited to 139 seats.)

For more information, please contact Stan Dyer on 9746 9537 or anthrohk@gmail.com.

[IOFC Activity] Fieldtrip to Wolong (臥龍), Sichuan (24–28 September, 2015)

FIELDTRIP TO WOLONG (臥龍), SICHUAN

Flyer of the event

The Institute of Future Cities (IOFC), in collaboration with Hong Kong Discovery, is organizing a fieldtrip to Wolong (臥龍) Sichuan. If you’re interested in post-disaster management, tourism and international development, this is a great opportunity for you to learn more about the recent changes in Wolong since the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

During this trip, participants will visit the Giant Panda Protection and Research Centre to learn more about environmental conservation and natural resources management. They will explore local farms, villages and temples to understand Wolong’s community, history and culture. More importantly, they will study and discuss more about the 5.12 Earthquake Rehabilitation Project and other development projects. Participants will also see museums, exhibitions, heritage sites and etc.

All students enrolled in the BA Anthropology or BA Cultural Management programmes are welcomed to apply, but preference will be given to senior students. Participants are required to write a post-fieldtrip report, which will be a great chance for them to exchange and learn from each other’s different disciplinary backgrounds and expertise.

Dates: 24th–28th September, 2015 (5-day trip)
Cost: The cost of airfare, local transportation, lodging and food are covered by Hong Kong Discovery. However, participants are required to pay for their own travel insurance package of approx. HK$110.
Eligibility: BA Anthropology or BA Cultural Management students. Priority
will be given to senior applicants.
Deadline: 10th July, 2015 (Fri)

To apply, please visit http://goo.gl/forms/NirOJvNyGx and fill in your personal details, degree name, year, etc. Successful applicants will be notified via email by July 17, 2015 (Fri). 

For enquiries, please email Ms. Leanne Fung at leannefung@cuhk.edu.hk.

[In the press] 專訪王芊霓－－研究廣場舞的歷程與心得

本系哲學碩士生王芊霓最近接受了四個媒體訪問，分享她研究中國廣場舞的歷程與心得。王芊霓自8歲就學習中國舞蹈，2013年開始研究廣場舞。在研究期間，她在河南進行了半年的田野考察，先後接觸了6支廣場舞隊，並與20多位舞者進行深入採訪。對於被污名化成“廣場舞大媽”的舞者，王芊霓以深入的剖析帶出另一番見解。

環球人物網截圖

詳情：

南都週刊。2015。廣場舞是大媽的“心靈按摩”。載《南都周刊》，5月16日。

（相關連結：http://www.nbweekly.com/news/china/201505/38886.aspx）

羅昕。2015。廣場舞大媽不應成為笑料，她們是“第一代孤獨母親”。載《澎湃新聞》，4月10日。

（相關連結：http://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1319318）

黄茜。2015。跳跳廣場舞怎麼就丟人了? 載《南方都市報》，4月17日，版RB12。

（相關連結：http://epaper.oeeee.com/epaper/C/html/2015-04/17/content_3408865.htm?div=2）

余馳疆。2015。為廣場舞大媽正名：她們是第一代孤獨母親。載《環球人物》，5月15日 。
（相關連結： http://www.hqrw.com.cn/2015/0515/25851_4.shtml）

The 8th Annual CUHK Anthropology Postgraduate Student Forum

The 8^th Annual CUHK Anthropology Postgraduate Student Forum

“Transforming Asian Anthropology:Dialogues and Imaginations”

22-23 January, 2016

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

The Department of Anthropology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, invites graduate students in Asia and elsewhere to present their current research at our 8^th Postgraduate Student Forum: “Transforming Asian Anthropology: Dialogues and Imaginations”. The Forum, to be held 22-23 January 2016 (Friday and Saturday) at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, will showcase the best of students’ contemporary research on Asia.

Hong Kong is a global city, a major node for trade, transportation, and the exchange of ideas. This Postgraduate Student Forum seeks to encourage the communication among young anthropologists and other social scientists all over the world, to help improve their research and to make the excellent research being conducted in Asia to be better known internationally.

Presentations and Panels

We accept proposals for individual papers only this year. Papers of different topics are welcome, ethnographic work preferred. Papers will then be organized into panels. Each paper presentation will last 15 minutes; PowerPoint and multimedia equipment will be provided. The language of the forum will be English.

How to Apply

Application procedure and additional information can be found at

http://arts.cuhk.edu.hk/~ant/pgforum/

Deadline for abstract is 16 October 2015.

Forum Dates

22-23 January 2016 (Friday and Saturday)

Contacts

Email: anthforum@cuhk.edu.hk

Telephone: +852 3943 7670

從瞭解文化差異到感受文化衝擊：一個人類學學生到墨西哥交流的體驗（二）

本系的文學士畢業生陳子晴(Cora)在2012－2013年度參與大學的交流計劃，到墨西哥修習一年。 在旅程中，Cora遇到不少「文化衝擊」，並努力嘗試克服及適應墨西哥與香港間的文化差異(詳情請閱讀上篇)。在暑假的時候，Cora以實習生身份在秘魯亞馬遜雨林的一個環保組織工作，得到不少有趣的體驗。

記：記者

C：Cora

記：為什麼你會選擇到亞馬遜雨林做義工？修讀人類學的你應該對環境生態不太熟悉，為何會作出這個大膽的挑戰？

C：小時候，我久不久就會回鄉探望祖父母。祖父母居住在內地一個郊外村落，因此勾引起我對大自然的興趣。我亦常常收看BBC(英國廣播公司)的大自然紀錄片，尤其喜愛David Attenborough製作及主持的節目。入大學的時候我本想選修環境科學或相關的科目，卻誤打誤撞進了人類學系。因此，看到在秘魯亞馬遜雨林工作的環保組織招募義工的時候，我既驚又喜──一方面我並沒有這方面的專業知識，另一方面那變得遙遠的童年夢想又好像觸手可及。在這個時候，我留意到此機構同時在招募專責行政工作的實習生。由於行政工作並不需要用上對環境生態的專業知識，但又能讓我到森林遊歷，完全是理想中的工作！因此，我便決定一試，申請了機構實習生的位置。

Cora在秘魯實習期間工作及居住的地方

記：那你主要工作內容是做什麼？

C：工作內容是依據實習時間的長度、實習生的西班牙語水平及其積極性而定。我負責的工作包括整理機構海量的文獻資料庫、尋找與大學及義工機構合作的機會、及到機場迎接義工等。忘了一提，機構的辦公室同時是我實習期間居住的地方，因此整理「辦公室」亦是我的責任──清洗碗碟、執拾房間、清潔浴室等等。在辦公室實習了兩星期後，我終於有機會到機構的研究保育中心(Amazon Research Conservation Centre，簡稱ARCC)工作一星期。我跟隨不同的隊伍及研究員進行研究，例如雀鳥隊、哺乳動物隊及一個研究蝴蝶的研究員。其中一些工作包括觀察及紀錄雀鳥、記下附近環境的資料、追蹤一些指定類別的猴子等等。

記：在做義工的過程中你有什麼有趣或難忘的經歷嗎？

C：最難忘的事情莫過於我跟爬行動物隊於夜間進行考察的時候看到一條蛇(英文學名:Black-headed calico snake)正在吞吃一隻老鼠。我們逗留了接近一小時去看這條蛇把老鼠完全吞下去！除了看到各種雨林獨有的動物之外，在叢林的生活亦出乎易料的自在──沒有網絡及訊號的生活讓我能夠閱讀及做更多自己喜歡的事。與一大班來自美國、英國、歐洲及當地的人相處對我來說亦是另一種文化交流的體驗；而跟機構的創辦人一家人一起居住就像跟寄養家庭一起生活。在這裡的日子實在太美好，促使我作出了另一個抉擇：取消到有秘魯文化首都之稱的庫斯科旅行，只為了在機構多留五天！

亞馬遜雨林的一角(Cora攝)

記：擁有人類學視野的你在工作中有沒有得到什麼啟蒙？

C：我工作的機構位於秘魯一個名叫馬爾多納多港(Puerto Maldonado)的城市。在實習期間的某一天，同事們忽然興致勃勃地討論一宗新聞：在亞馬遜雨林生活的一群部落族人忽然在河邊聚集並發出聲浪，似是要求在河對岸生活的村落居民給予食物；村民有見及此便把部分食物以小船送給他們；但第二天該部落族人又在河邊聚集，而且這次更多人，有些更拿著疑似弓箭的東西，結果把在河對岸的村民都嚇壞了。由於村落跟馬爾多納多港也有好一段距離，由城市運送食物到村內起碼需要一兩天時間，故村民擔心族人得不到食物的話會以弓箭傷害他們(之前曾發生族人射殺外來者的事件)；而且若然把食物全都送出，他們自己也沒有足夠糧食渡日。最後當地政府及人道組織成員介入，疏散並安置村民。事件再次引起當地人討論原始部落(當地媒體稱之為uncontacted people)與周邊族群融合的問題。他們之所以被列為uncontacted(不主動接觸)主要是因為原始部落族人缺乏「現代人」所擁有的抗體，接觸的話會把疾病傳給他們，間接「滅族」。同事分析族人這次的行為很可能是源於森林生態被眾多不同團體破壞，使部落族人不能以一貫的方式（如打獵，採摘等）獲得食物，故主動「現身」要求食物。

當時的報導標題：Some 150 uncontacted indigenous people are seen in Tambopata

除此之外，馬爾多納多港是秘魯其中一個最富有及生活指數最高的城市(雖然單看城市景觀一點都看不出來)。它之所以富有，是因為其地理位置非常接近亞馬遜雨林，吸引了大班不同背景身份的人到該城謀事，衍生了團體之間複雜的關係及造成了各種拉鋸與利益衝突。那些團體包括伐木公司、採礦公司、以打獵或採摘堅果牟利的商人、當地商人、旅行社、保育和人道團體、地區政府等。若以背景劃分，則有本地人、來工作的外省人、旅客、部落族人、及在不同機構工作、實習、做義工或在森林做研究的外國人(以英、美、歐洲為主)等等。

就以義工機構為例：以我所知，在當地的保育或人道團體多由外國人創立，並聘請外國人及當地人為員工。我工作機構的創辦人是在南非出生長大的英國人(或南非人，視乎我們用國藉抑或「血緣」來定義)，而他太太(也是創辦人之一)是秘魯人；機構成員多為英國人，也有秘魯人。與機構直接有關係的組織包括當地政府、擁有地權的當地人、以及其聘請的秘魯員工、接待的旅客（例如是某實習生的家人）及合作的旅館。機構正嘗試向當地政府申請森林裡用作為保育中心近十一公頃範圍的地權；若申請成功，他們將能禁止其他團體入內伐木、打獵、採摘等。他們最近成功購得該地，但我不清楚那是否代表他們同時取得政府認可，並有絕對權力決定該地的用途。

而與機構間接有關係的則包括所有利用森林資源牟利的團體。保育團體與他們幾乎是敵對關係。保育團體斥責他們傾倒有毒廢料、破壞雨林及附近居民的生活環境，他們及部分當地人、外省人亦同時怪責這些團體影響其生計。在我逗留期間，我聽說那些牟利團體的員工因為政府頒布了禁令禁止他們在森林某部分擷取資源而聚集起來堵塞其中一條主要道路以示抗議。這卻令我想到「雨林誰屬？」的問題。打著保育旗號的外國人雖然致力保護消失中的森林，但又應如何與依賴森林資源的居民及商人協調取得平衡？此外，伐木、採礦、打獵、採摘堅果的公司常被視為邪惡化身，只顧利益不顧環境，但其實我們都在消費森林資源──就以雨林盛產的巴西堅果為例，它被加工使用在不同的化妝及護膚品中。既然我們在購物時亦不知不覺使用了森林資源，我們又怎可以把責任全推到他們身上呢？

當地人與原始部落的交集、不同團體之間的關係、外省秘魯人與當地人之敵視或姻親、政府在保育團體和牟利公司中的角色⋯⋯不同持份者的身份和關係千絲萬縷。總括而言，該城真是人類學家的「聖地」──除了可近距離了解世上碩果僅存的原始部落，也看到城市中不同團體間多變複雜的關係，在短短一個月裡我所看到的實在大大超出期望！

Cora與其他義工、實習生及創辦人（前排左四）合照

記：那裡的工作對你有什麼啟發或是如何改變了你？

C：關於雨林誰屬的問題絕對是刺激我思考的一大議題。是次經驗亦讓我認識到非牟利保育團體的運作及難處等等(其實他們不是完全非牟利，他們透過接待旅客、義工和實習生等賺取利潤，以支持基本營運及利用營利拓展「業務」(如製作短片、購買保育研究中心等))。另外，如何提高機構的知名度，或如何把機構的訊息有效散播出去也使我非常傷腦筋。我常常在想，不同的非牟利機構皆有一套訊息想傳遞，旨在爭取更多的關注及捐款。但不知是訊息太泛濫，宣傳方法太無趣，還是訊息本身未能使受眾覺得與自身有聯繫－－大眾好像對這些議題都缺乏適度的關注。這個問題我到現在仍不斷思考，歸根究底，是什麼令社會之間、人與人之間出現阻隔？是什麼令人們對某些議題缺乏關注？另外，在機構工作的人都有一個共通點，就是他們有非常強的動力、信心和意志力。即使似是天馬行空的想法，他們都沒有質疑或失去信心。有些想法被提出來，他們就會馬上開始討論如何實行等細節，這跟我做決定時思前想後及顧慮多的性格幾近相反，故他們的動力對我有一定正面的影響。

在墨西哥的體驗對Cora有不少的影響，亦引起了她對生活及社會各種現象的反思。從經歷「文化衝擊」、到克服文化差異、再到挑戰自己、追尋夢想，當中遇到的困難和所需的勇氣絕對不少。同學們趁年輕也不妨離開自己的舒適圈，到他國遊歷一下，說不定也別有一番體會！

Coming of Age with “Internet Addiction”: Institutional Encounters and Subject Formation of Chinese Youngsters

Since 2005, “internet addiction” has been treated as a mental disorder in China. Treatment camps for internet addiction are widely established across China to save Chinese youths and their families. Yet, the media depicts the “dark” side of these unauthorized institutions, and discloses the series of physical tortures suffered by the youngsters being sent to these centres.

Rao Yichen presenting his research at the Hong Kong Museum of History

Rao Yichen, an MPhil student of our Department, had delivered an anthropological talk* on the topic “Coming of Age with “Internet Addiction”: Institutional Encounters and Subject Formation of Chinese Youngsters” at the Hong Kong Museum of History last Thursday. He conducted three-month ethnographic fieldwork in a treatment camp to find out whether or not the news were doing justice to these institutions, what kinds of treatments, effective or not, the youngsters had received, and how these camps had informed us about Chinese society.

Living room of the youngsters in the treatment camp

The camp he conducted fieldwork at employed different therapeutics and set up various units—drillmaster team, psychological group, clinical unit, nursing unit, leisure activity group and parents group—to treat the youngsters. Uniformity and discipline were emphasized in the camp, in which the youngsters had to follow a daily schedule, wear military uniform and receive training. Pleasure control had been viewed as the key, since these youngsters were believed to have problem in impulse control. Yichen highlighted the use of Morita therapy (森田療法) in the camp, which was a Japanese therapy designed for patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder. The therapy commonly took a month. At first, the youngster would be isolated in a single room with no one to talk to, and left to his or her own mind. He or she would be given a pen in the second week to write anything, which could be reflections or creative writings. In this treatment, the soul could either be the prison, or the other way round, the savior of the body.

The youngsters and their parents attending psychological lectures together

Yichen noted that the youngsters had invented their local currency—the piece of bread distributed after dinner—in the treatment camp which enabled them to exchange and reciprocate. The “bread system” informed social actions and helped the youngsters to establish relationships, hence contributing to the formation of a community in the camp.

The whole treatment required six months for completion. Length of the treatment period was important—the youngsters might attach to the institution if they stayed there too long, or could still be at the stage of conversion if the duration of the treatment was too short.

Yichen concluded that the term “internet addiction” was only meaningful in the context. Different societies had their own ways in controlling the “abnormalities”. What shall not be overlooked was the discourse that subjected youngsters to “internet addiction” in the first place.

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*The talk was jointly presented by The Hong Kong Anthropological Society and the Hong Kong Museum of History. The list of upcoming talks can be found at http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/ant/hkas/. The talks are free of charge and open to the public.