Water & its Histories: Interdisciplinary Explorations in Hong Kong and Beyond

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Water posed persistent challenges to twentieth- century Hong Kong: for colonial governance, popular livelihoods, and Cold War geopolitical strategy alike. As a number of scholars have discussed over recent years, water supplies were limited, water was used in ways frustrating official hopes, importing cross-border water was geopolitically fraught, and fears of water scarcity were imbricated with anxieties over political dissension.

Following this recent wave of interest in histories of water in twentieth-century Hong Kong, this workshop brings together scholars working on the subject along with social scientists, geographers, and historians of water in other historical and contemporary contexts. 

It seeks to assess the field, illuminate the situation of Hong Kong with reference to other geographically and chronologically diverse studies, and in turn ask what this history of water in Hong Kong speaks to other sites and historical conjunctures — not least the current moment, when, amidst a changing climate, questions of resilience and threat, hydro-technological governance, and geopolitical tension again come to the fore.

Speakers (In Order of Presentation): 

• Jack Greatrex (Nanyang Technological University)
• Devika Shankar (University of Hong Kong)
• Hallam Stevens (James Cook University)
• Frederick Lee (University of Hong Kong)
• Dorothy Tang (National University of Singapore)
• Kaman Ho (Nanyang Technological University)
• Florence Mok (Nanyang Technological University)
• David Clayton (University of York)
• Nelson K. Lee (Chinese University of Hong Kong)
• Perrine Hamel (Nanyang Technological University)
• SR Joey Long (National University of Singapore)
• Siu-hei Lai (Nanyang Technological University).