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Research Student Seminar Series 5 Date: 14 December 2015 (Monday) Time: 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm Venue: GH128 Topic: : The Local Perception of Confucius Institutes in South Africa – An Ethnographic Approach Abstract: Contemporary academic debates surrounding China-Africa relations are overwhelmingly dictated by economic, financial and ideological considerations. Cultural interactions and concern for local perceptions remain somewhat ignored while much attention continues to focus on China’s state level involvement and cooperation on the African continent. However, a growing concern about the role of Confucius Institutes are gaining international reporting as they are being portrayed by scholars and researchers as instruments or “soft power” used by the Chinese government to enhance her international image and continue its domination in Africa’s developing countries. This view however overlooks the perceptions of the local people on the ground. This research will therefore focus on addressing this gap in the current discourse about Confucius Institutes within the scope of China-Africa relations by examining the one African country with the most Confucius Institutes at present: South Africa. An ethnographic approach will be adopted for this case study of local people employed in a selected Institute to illustrate the complex relationships they have formed with the Institute. Speaker's brief biography: Monique Rimkus was graduated from the University of Leipzig, Germany with a BA in African Studies and Modern Chinese. She obtained the international Erasmus Mundus Global Studies Joint-Masters’ Degree from the University of Vienna, Fudan University in Shanghai and the University of Leipzig focusing on China-Africa relations. Her current research interest is on cultural exchange and Confucius Institutes in Africa. Since September 2014 she is studying full-time at the Department of Applied Social Sciences of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University for her PhD degree. Speaker: Ms. Monique Rimkus PhD Program Department of Applied Social Sciences The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
