Events
China’s Digital Working Class: Circuits of Labor, Platformization, and a New Social Class in the Making by Prof Jack Linchuan Qiu
| Date | : | 02 Nov 2018 |
| Time | : | 15:00 - 16:30 |
| Venue | : | Central Library Theatrette 1, #04-04 |
| Contact Person | : | TAY, Minghua |
Jointly organized by Asia Research Institute, and Department of Communications and New Media, National University of Singapore.
CHAIRPERSON
Dr Eric Kerr, Asia Research Institute, and Tembusu College, National University of Singapore
ABSTRACT
China today is experiencing “great transformations” (à la Karl Marxist as well as Karl Polanyi). Powered by digital media, the transformational process is not only globally relevant but also conducive to innovations in social theory and communication research. A key to grasp the opportunities herein is to focus on social class, especially China’s digital working class that enables the emergence of China as “the world’s factory” in early 21st century. Against this social and historical backdrop, how can we theorize complex issues of digital labor and class formation? How can we probe the pivotal processes using conventional quantitative and qualitative strategies as well as new digital methods? This talk introduces Jack Qiu’s latest book project China’s Digital Working Class (co-authored with sociologist PUN Ngai), its main concepts – “circuits of labor” and ”platformization” – and its main argument for a new class analysis of the digital era.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jack Linchuan Qiu is Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he directs the Centre for Chinese Media and Comparative Communication Research (C-Centre) and co-directs the Centre for Social Innovation Studies at the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies. He has published nearly 100 research articles and chapters and 10 books in both English and Chinese including Goodbye iSlave: A Manifesto for Digital Abolition (U of Illinois Press, 2016), World Factory in the Information Age (Guangxi Normal U Press, 2013), and Working-Class Network Society (MIT Press, 2009). An internationally renowned scholar, Jack’s work has been translated into German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, and Korean. He has served on the editorial boards of 14 academic journals, including six indexed in the SSCI, and is Associate Editor for Journal of Communication. He also works with grassroots NGOs and provides consultancy services for international organizations, while serving as the Vice President of Chinese Communication Association.
REGISTRATION
Admission is free. We would greatly appreciate if you click on the “Register” button above to RSVP.