Qiaoxiang Ties Programme Successfully Concluded
On 18 July 2000, the IIAS Qiaoxiang Ties Research Programme was publicly assessed during its concluding seminar at the University of Amsterdam. Its director reports on the accomplishments and future prospects.
The meeting discussed the programme's achievements and future projections on the basis of written and oral reports by the undersigned and by members of the programme's supervisory committee. Below follows a report on the seminar. A more elaborate account of the programme's proceedings and results will be provided in its Final Report, to be published shortly.
* By LEO DOUW & CEN HUANG
The participants in the seminar agreed that the programme has been successful in achieving its major goals, including a considerable output of international academic publications, the building of an extensive and committed international network of scholars, and the establishment of international collaborative research projects on Qiaoxiang studies with Xiamen University of China. In addition, the programme was successful in attracting outside funding, in particular with the NWO and the European Science Foundation.
In his introductory speech at the meeting, Dr Leo Douw related how the programme had developed from an initiative involving a broad group of Dutch academic researchers centered around Prof. Leonard Blussé and Dr Frank Pieke (University of Leiden), Dr Peter Post (presently NIOD, Amsterdam), Prof. Heather Sutherland (Free University Amsterdam), and Douw himself (University of Amsterdam, Free University Amsterdam). The initiative tallied in with the emerging academic trend to study globalization processes, and the increased acknowledgement all over the world that Chinese transnational communities play a key role in those processes.
Establishment of the programme 1994-1997
When the IIAS adopted a policy of stimulating programme research, Douw and Pieke put in a proposal for a research programme entitled 'International Social Organization in East and Southeast Asia: Qiaoxiang Ties During the Twentieth Century'. The authors proposed to study from a social scientific perspective how Chinese transnational communities linked up together and with China. This proposal was adopted by the IIAS in 1994; two postdoctoral research positions and budgets for other research expenses were made available to the programme, which was to be directed by Douw and Pieke. The protected budget aside, as Douw emphasized in his introduction, the competence and enthusiasm of the IIAS staff were a crucial asset. In 1995, Douw and Post organized a highly qualified Academy Colloquium, entitled 'South China: State, Culture, and Social Change during the Twentieth Century', which resulted in a proceedings publication the year after. Also in 1996, the programme definitely took off after the appointment of Dr Cen Huang (University of Calgary, Canada) in one of the postdoctoral positions. By that time, Pieke had transferred to the University of Oxford, where he stayed on as an advisor of the programme.
The seminar discussed several of the problems in the building-up phase of the programme. The main problem had been that even the very broadly delimited initial research outline of the programme attracted only few sufficiently qualified applicants. The main reasons for this had been: the development of a new research field requires new skills which cannot be expected to be widely available immediately; the need to build research and field networks in a relatively short time, the relatively high language requirements of the programme; and the fact that postdoctoral research may not always offer the best job opportunity for academic job-seekers. The other main problem, partly related to the personnel problem, was how to plan the programme's budget. Despite its protected status, the programme's budget had to be adapted to changed circumstances several times, even at its later stages. A fixed budget with more freedom for the programme director to spend money could bring a solution here, even though it must be said that the flexibility inherent in the existing system in this case also had some advantages.
The programme's personnel took shape in the course of 1997 with Huang as the pivot around which the programme revolved on a day-to-day basis, and Douw as general manager. As a substitute for the second fellowship, it was also decided to emphasize the organization of book-producing international workshops, to seek the support of senior fellows, and to grant Douw a 'Dutch senior fellowship'. In the spring of 1997, Douw and Huang made a five-week tour through Singapore, Hong Kong, mainland China, and Taiwan in order to link up with academic researchers in this field and to open up field and archive work. During this trip the co-operative link was established with Zhuang Guotu's group in Xiamen. In August of the same year an international workshop was held in Leiden to discuss the direction taken by the programme.
Hightide 1997-2000
In her address, Huang emphasized the major themes and research approaches which were considered the theoretical framework of the programme. She situated the programme at the crossroads of globalization processes, the role therein of Chinese business, and a regional focus on South China, including Taiwan and Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia. Huang considered comparative and empirical case studies to be the two main features of the programme. Her many published articles, book chapters, and guest lectures highlighted that her interest in structure and social organization, labour management in Chinese transnational enterprises have become an important focus of the programme.
Douw and Huang concurred in mentioning how efficient the combination of senior fellows and book-producing conferences had been. Dr Michael R. Godley (Monash University, Melbourne) appeared to be thoroughly committed to the programme from the time of his involvement with the second workshop in 1998, in Noordwijkerhout, which resulted in the programme's first major publication (Douw, Huang and Godley, 1999; for an introduction, see p.31 in this News--letter). Dr David Ip (University of Queensland, Brisbane) was equally committed from his fellowship in January 1999 onwards, and co-organized the programme's conference in Hong Kong in August 1999. That conference resulted in the other major publication of the programme (Douw, Huang and Ip forthcoming; see p.31 in this Newsletter). Since his fellowship in 1997-1998, Dr David Schak (Griffith University, Brisbane) contributed importantly to the programme's conferences and publications. Prof. Dai Yifeng (University of Xiamen) contributed in likewise manner and enriched the link with Xiamen by his historical studies.
The programme was equally successful in producing offshoots. This applies to the attraction of outside funding as much as to contributions to other related research programmes. A large grant for the programme's conference in Hong Kong was acquired in a highly competitive round of applications with the European Science Foundation; the NWO granted a number of travel subsidies for the other workshops of the programme. Numerous contributions to other related research programmes were made in the form of guest lectures, conference papers, and the three editorships of conference proceedings publications. A most important corollary of the programme's activity was the stimulation of PhD research at the Amsterdam School for Social Scientific Research, at the University of Amsterdam, in which Prof. Heather Sutherland played a paramount role as an applicant for funding and as a supervisor. Two PhDs have been completed, by Li Minghuan (1998) and by Wu Xiaoán (1999). Faye Chan, Sikko Visscher, and Song Ping are at different stages in finalizing their PhD manuscripts.
Future prospects
There was little doubt among the participants of the 18 July assessment meeting that the programme has increased the visibility of this research field as an important concern of the Dutch academic community. It was insisted therefore that the programme be continued in some form, capitalizing on the established extensive and friendly network and the prestige of its participants. The IIAS principally can no longer be the major sponsor of such initiatives, but may continue to play a supportive role. Basically, however, the programme's objectives must be transferred to the universities and other academic research institutes.
Several options for continuation were suggested during the seminar. There are many new programmes and organizations at present, which engage in the study of transnational communities and economies, which may use the programme's expertise in the form of common publications and conference panels. But also other programmes engage in themes related to the programme's concerns, such as the IIAS / ISSH 'CLARA' programme, and the programme on 'Brokers of Capital and Knowledge' at the ASSR. The productivity of the programme's book-producing conferences suggests that workshops to be organized on a two to three year basis may be another option. As a matter of course, PhD research in Leiden and Amsterdam, if not elsewehere should continue. Also the link with the Xiamen researchers is an important asset, to be continued and expanded towards other groups in the target areas of research. *
References
Leo Douw, Cen Huang, and Michael R. Godley (eds),
Qiaoxiang Ties: Interdisciplinary approaches to 'Cultural Capitalism' in South China, London: Kegan Paul International (1999).
Leo Douw, Cen Huang, and David Ip, Rethinking Transnational Chinese Enterprises: Cultural affinity and business strategies, London: Curzon Press (forthcoming 2001)
The Final Report of the programme will shortly be published on its web site: Http://www.iias.nl/iias/research/qiaoxiang/