A new award organized by the York Centre for Asian Research will be granted annually to a graduate student conducting research on topic(s) related to the Hakka population, their cultures, histories and geographies anywhere in the world.
The Vivienne Poy Hakka Graduate Research Award is open to full-time and part-time students who are Canadian citizens, permanent residents, protected persons and international students who have a demonstrated interest in this topic are all eligible.
“Hakka” could be defined as personal, relational and communal identity of a subgroup of Han Chinese whose settlements are scattered worldwide. The award considers research that deepens understanding of the construction of Hakka identity, its relevance in different locales; how Hakka identities are constructed, mobilized and contested at different moments in time; what Hakka means in different social, political and economic contexts from a historical or/and contemporary perspective.
One award is offered and is valued at $5,000. It is intended to support research activities, including travel. The successful student will receive the total amount of the award and will not have their funding package reduced by the amount of the award.
The award was established by Vivienne Poy in 2020 to encourage the development of Hakka research and scholarship at York University and promote this scholarship in Canada and internationally.
Poy is the first Canadian of Asian descent to be appointed to the Senate of Canada (1998–2012). She is also an entrepreneur, fashion designer, historian and the author of several books, including Passage to Promise Land: Voices of Chinese Immigrant Women to Canada (2013) and Heroes & Gamblers: Tales of Survival and Good Fortune of the Poy Family (2015).
The deadline for applications is Friday, Oct. 16 before 4 p.m. with the successful applicant being notified within one month. Late applications will not be accepted. For more information about the award and how to apply, visit ycar.apps01.yorku.ca/vivienne-poy-hakka-graduate-research-award.