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Centre for Cultural Research and Development 文化研究及發展中心

Regenerative Institutional Change in a Cross-field Comparative Perspective

Keywords

Traditional Chinese Medicine and Cantonese Opera in Hong Kong since the 1990s

How do the dynamics of broader social change and its impact on actors’ interactions lead to different pathways for regenerative change across fields?  To answer this question, this study compares regenerative change in Chinese medicine and Cantonese opera in Hong Kong, both of which are beset with similar tensions that arise from competing interpretations of their traditions, but elicit divergent pathways to change since the 1990s.  It examines why in the field of Chinese medicine, the status quo welcomes novel integrative Chinese-Western medicines while its challengers strive to retain traditional Chinese medicine modalities.  Conversely, the incumbents of Cantonese opera promote a traditional form of performance whereas the challengers advocate nouvelle performances.  Answers to these questions inform our understanding of how the fields evolve along with the “cultural repertoires” that the key players assembled and deployed.  This project develops an analytical framework based on insights from institutional theory and cultural sociology.

Principal Investigator:
SHIN Kei-wah Victor

Co-Investigators :
CHIU Stephen Wing-kai
HUI Hon Wing

Funding:
University Grants Committee, General Research Fund, n.17602521 (2021/2022) HKD632,165. On-going