A beloved teacher and colleague, Professor Bernard H. K. Luk (1946–2016) was an internationally recognized authority on the history of Hong Kong. Endowed by Professor Luk's friend and former student, the Honourable Dr Vivienne Poy, the Bernard H. K. Luk Memorial Lecture in Hong Kong Studies has been created in honour of his work. The annual lecture provides an historical or contemporary analysis of Hong Kong as a distinct society, Hong Kong’s influence on the wider world, or, the experiences of the Hong Kong diaspora.
An obituary co-authored by Professor Luk's colleagues and friends is available here.
Organized by the Hong Kong Studies Group at YCAR, the lectures and accompanying events focus on Hong Kong as a distinct society, its influence on the wider world or the experiences of the Hong Kong diaspora. Lectures are held at York University and the Richard Charles Lee Canada-Hong Kong Library.
The Lecture Committee:
- Yuk-Lin Renita Wong (School of Social Work) who also serves as Chair
- Susan Henders (Politics)
- Maria Lau (Richard Charles Lee Canada-Hong Kong Library)
- Jack Leong (York University Libraries)
- Guida Man (Sociology)
- Wendy S. Wong (Design)
Memorial Lectures
2024 | The Oysterman, the Farmer, and the Marine Police: Hong Kong History at Its Borders | 12 November 2024
Denise Y. Ho (Georgetown University) examines the experiences of three figures whose life and work traversed Hong Kong’s border with China, focusing on the period from the establishment of the People’s Republic to the early years of China’s era of “reform and opening-up.”
Event page | News story
2023 | Freedom, Loyalty, and Home: Reflections on the Life of the Hong Kong Diaspora | 27 October 2023
The recent waves of migration from Hong Kong to different parts of the world have occurred against the backdrop of unexpected
and drastic political changes in their home city. Alongside the traumatic uprooting and resettlement of life, many of these newly formed, politically driven diasporas have encountered subtle struggles related to values and identity that are difficult to articulate, potentially leading to misunderstandings in communication. Joseph Chan (Academia Sinica, Taiwan) aims to unravel some of these
subtle struggles through the lenses of freedom, loyalty, and home.
Event page | News post
2022 | Envisioning Global Hong Kong Studies: Possibilities, Politics and Praxis | 24 May 2022
Ching Kwan Lee (UCLA) sketched three three intellectual approaches to developing Hong Kong Studies as a globally relevant and significant field of knowledge.
2021 | Chinese State Capitalism and its Discontents in Hong Kong | 08 June 2021
Ho-fung Hung (Johns Hopkins University) presented the annual lecture alongside a three-panel symposium, Hong Kong Beyond Hong Kong: Resistance and Contention: Identities, Connections, and Power (Panel 1); “Studying Hong Kong: The National Security Law and Beyond” Roundtable Conversation (Panel 2); and Hong Kong-Canada Relationships (Panel 3)
Event page
2019 | Integrative Medicine from China to the World | 26 April 2019
Vivian Taam Wong, a leader in the establishment of the field of integrative medicine in Hong Kong, presented the third Bernard H.K. Luk Memorial Lecture in Hong Kong Studies. This year was also the inaugural accompany Hong Kong workshop: Synergies between Chinese and Western Medicine in Hong Kong and Beyond: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives.
2018 | Hong Kong and the Gold Mountain Dream | 10 May 2018
Elizabeth Sinn (Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences, Hong Kong University) explored the early history of Hong Kong as a migration hub for Chinese migrants across the Pacific.
2017 | Should the Chinese Language be Taught in Putonghua? | 27 April 2017
Professor Luk's former colleague and friend, Professor Choi Po King, delivered the inaugural Bernard Luk Memorial Lecture. Her lecture, explored the nationalist politics and debates around the medium of instruction of the Chinese language in Hong Kong.
Event summary and photographs | Event video