Antecedents of BRI: Empires, Religions, Material Culture, and Economics of the Silk Road
Jointly organized by the University of Virginia, University of Hong Kong, December 3–5, 2020
Session I: Dec 3 (Thurs) 7:00–11:00 pm EST / Dec 4 (Fri) 8:00–12:00 noon HK time
Registration here: https://virginia.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6Zp_9qHTQO-B9CxARW1Tew
Livestream here: https://youtu.be/70-vl2vF83Q
Religious Circulations and Materialities: 7:00–9:15 pm EST / 8:00–10:15 am
Fotini Kondyli, University of Virginia, chair and discussant
“The Making of Colossal Buddha Statues in Contemporary China”
Dorothy Wong, University of Virginia
“Peppering Piety Across Port Cities: The Materialities of Religious Circulations in Asia, from the Silk Road to the Belt and Road”
R. Michael Feener, Kyoto University / University of Oxford
“Christianity on the Move: Routes and Religious Mobility in Late Imperial and Modern China”
Li Ji, University of Hong Kong
Coffee Break: 9:15–9:30 pm EST / 10:15–10:30 am HK time
Trade, Economics, and Material Culture: 9:30–11:00 pm EST / 10:30–12:00 noon HK time
Kerem Coşar, University of Virginia, chair and discussant
“The Economics of Silk Road Diplomacy: Evidence from Dunhuang (850–1000)”
Xin Wen, Princeton University
“Agents of Appropriation: Artifacts in Sino-Japanese Trade, ca. 1050-1250”
Hsueh-Man Shen, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University
“Caravan and Dhow: An Overview of the Trade in Silks and Other Textiles from South Asia to the Mediterranean, 1300-1800”
Amanda Phillips, University of Virginia
Session II Dec 4 (Fri) 7:00–10:30 pm EST / Dec 5 (Sat) 8:00–11:30 am HK time
Registration here: https://virginia.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jTlCHh_jSx6xmq_kW2EsHA
Livestream here: https://youtu.be/z1DufObkCNE
Silk Roads and Empires, Pt. I: 7:00–8:10 pm EST / 8:00–9:10 am HK time
Tansen Sen, NYU-Shanghai, chair and discussant
“Ends of Empire: Domination and Resistance in Wei Yuan's Political Thought”
Alex Haskins, University of Chicago
“Empire and BRI”
Krishan Kumar, University of Virginia
Coffee break: 8:10–8:30 pm / 9:10–9:30 HK time
Silk Roads and Empires, Pt. II: 8:30–9:40 pm EST / 9:30–10:40 am HK time
Krishan Kumar, University of Virginia, and Amitav Acharya, American University, co-chairs and co-discussants
“Against Silk Road(s): Alternatives to Understanding Premodern Cross-Regional Interactions”
Tansen Sen, NYU-Shanghai
“Post-colonial Empires in the Era of the Belt and Road”
David Palmer, University of Hong Kong
Roundtable Discussion by all panelists: 9:40–10:30 pm / 10:40–11:30 am HK time
Moderators: David Palmer, University of Hong Kong, and Dorothy Wong, University of Virginia
Co-organizers: Krishan Kumar, Amanda Phillips, Dorothy Wong
The workshop is part of the “Assessment of China’s Belt and Road Initiative” Project at the University of Virginia, supported by the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Center for Global Inquiry and Innovation, East Asia Center, and a gift from Mr. James H.T. McConnell, Jr. In addition, the workshop is co-sponsored by the BRINFAITH project, Hong Kong University Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences.