The Newest Nationalism: Constructing a Hong Kong National Identity

This multidisciplinary project aims to investigate the emergence since 2011 of an unprecedented political movement promoting Hong Kong nationalism, transforming a seemingly depoliticized trade port into one of the most politically charged cities on earth. Employing an ethnographic approach of close engagement with activists and their experiences, this project builds on macro-level analyses of Hong Kong’s relationship with China to generate new knowledge of the personal aspirations and anxieties driving these tensions. At the same time, by observing processes of ethnogenesis in real time, my findings in Hong Kong will provide innovative insights on the ongoing global debates about the origins, appeal, and implications of nationalism today.