Interacting with Society

The COVID-19 crisis far exceeds biomedical facts and timelines. The pandemic underscores, and in many ways intensify, longstanding questions about the cultural politics of disease, health, community, public health, and discrimination, while at the same time posing radically new and difficult ones. Cultural Studies, a leading journal of the field, is no stranger to challenging questions such as these. Its commitment to studying the cultural politics of public health extends at least as far back as the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s. Epitomized by the phrase, “how to have theory in an epidemic” (Treichler 1999), cultural researchers built new knowledge to supplement the sciences to engage with vital struggles over the cultural meanings and discourses about health, identities, and power relations. To respond to our collective present and future impacted by COVID-19, John Nguyet Erni (Fung Hon Chu Endowed Chair of Humanics at HKBU and Editorial Board member of Cultural Studies) and Ted Striphas (Editor-in-Chief of the journal) are co-editing a special issue consisting of about 25 thought pieces to be selected globally. Our objective is to publish pieces of significant reflection on the pandemic that can provoke and inspire important ideas to address the conjuncture we are in and offer intellectual guidance for our way forward. The special issue is slated for publication in late 2020/early 2021.

‘Covistress’ is a project by a medical research team, resulting from previous collaborations in France. This is a global study, and will have implications for the wellbeing of populations of different ethnicities and different cultures.

The Coronavirus pandemic has undoubtedly had a major influence on the stress levels of populations. However, data are non-existent concerning the perception and knowledge of the epidemic in relation to perceived and actual stress levels.

The study research timelines are May 2020/May 2022. The study has funding from the National Institute of Health (NIH) and will provide outstanding publications, additional grant applications and the development of further International external collaborations via the networks created here.

Objectives of the study include the assessment of stress, perception and knowledge of the epidemic. Measures include; physical activity levels, sleep, diet, sexual behavior, health care, obesity and associated co-morbidities, habits and lifestyle, socio economic status and levels of education. The study is estimating in excess of 1,000,000 participants of all ages and genders.

HKBU are principal investigators in collaboration with Professor Fréderic DUTHEIL Faculty of Medicine, Clermont-Ferrand, France. 

Stay.Home.Stay.Art is a public channel to promote the idea of art-making as a way to improve our well-being during the Covid-19 pandemic. It began with the idea of showcasing artworks created by AVA students who were forced to change their creative practices due to the close down of the studios since February. The experiences of working from home asked the students to rethink their role as an artist in the community during the lockdown. We believe that art do not just allow us to express our views and feelings but also generate energy that could foster social changes in the future – Art can help. Under such belief, an art sharing platform was set up in Instagram and Facebook in April. In the first stage, students, staff and alumni of AVA were invited to submit works to the platform. Over 100 works ranging from illustration, painting, video and photography were received in the first few weeks. In the second stage, the platform will be open to the general public. It aims to promote the culture of “Create and Share” regardless their art background. Apart from that, events such as weekly Doodle Challenge will be held to invite the participants to create works under specific topics. Despite the loosening of lockdown measure recently, the project could be extended beyond the pandemic.

Through April and May 2020, nearly 300 online attendees, approximately 90-100 attendees per seminar, attended a ZOOM-based series entitled “Love in the Time of Coronavirus". The series was presented by specialists in language and power, the commercial sex industry, and online Chinese dating apps whose expertise highlights HKBU and Hong Kong’s unique access linking China and the world. Participation was lively in real time and individual presenters reported quality follow-up interactions.

The series has brought welcome attention to the work of the HKBU GSC which, upon founding in 2017, was the first, free-standing credit-bearing concentration of its kind in Hong Kong. As indicated on their graduation transcript, eligible HKBU students, university-wide, may earn a Concentration in Gender Studies upon the completion of 21 overall units.

The “Love in the Time of Coronavirus" series was impactful due to topical interest and the leveraging of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a therapeutic and dialogic focus upon scholarship engaging with presently marginalized genders and sexualities. Joining HKBU’s broader ethical approach to solving Hong Kong’s social ills—which COVID-19 has only intensified—we must double down upon our commitment to tolerance and compassion. Far from making us weaker, according respect to different classed, gendered, and sexual backgrounds only makes our families, our city, our country, and the world stronger.

At a time when the pandemic is forcing isolation and closing minds, the search for connection— like the struggle to keep our hearts and minds open—becomes ever more important.