A Postgraduate Workshop co-organized by Institute of Romance Studies, University of Potsdam (DFG-Emmy Noether-Group “Philology and Racism”), and the School of English, the University of Hong Kong.

Knowledge is always bound to the epistemic conditions of its generation. These conditions are implicated in social, political, economic and historico-cultural processes and speak to issues of power and authority. They are central to the interpretation and critical analysis of complex cultural articulations, such as textuality and its linguistic reflections. Contextualizing knowledge is a crucial paradigm for postmodern humanities. Thus the success of a transcultural “future philology” – to borrow this term from Sheldon Pollock –, which consistently reflects on its own epistemological premises, depends on the ability to reevaluate and detect the impact of predetermined patterns shaping its focuses, methods and assertions.

Deconstructivism, discourse analysis, communication theory, and postcolonial studies offer an array of theoretical tools. They allow a critical approach to dynamics that both hide and exploit epistemological structures through strategies of decontextualisation and the reconceptualization of knowledge. Nevertheless, the question remains as to the extent to which structures of empowerment and asymmetries between and within philological praxis and discourses still compromise the transfer of information in what is called our “globalized world”.

The primary aim of this workshop is to facilitate intellectual exchange between research students from the two institutions, and promote discussion of diverse intellectual frameworks among academic staff and students. Papers take the form of the presentation of ideas from a key thinker or theorist (or an encounter between two theorists), and an explanation of why that theorist is important for ongoing research.