At Home with Density

SERIES FOREWORD

SERIES FOREWOR D Most past research on Hong Kong has been generally aimed to infor m a divers e audienc e abou t th e plac e an d it s people . Beginnin g i n th e 1950s, th e ai m o f scholar s an d journalist s wh o cam e t o Hon g Kon g was to study China , whic h ha d not yet opened it s doors to fieldwor k by outsiders . Accordingly , th e relevanc e o f Hon g Kon g wa s limite d to its status as a society adjacent t o mainland China. After th e openin g of China , researc h o n Hon g Kon g shifte d focu s toward s colonia l legitimacy and the return o f sovereignty. Thus, the disciplined stud y of Hong Kong was hindered for almost half a century, and the richnes s of a society undergoing dramatic economic, social and political chang e within th e contemporar y worl d wa s not sufficientl y emphasized . The unfoldin g o f cultur e an d societ y i n Hon g Kon g is no longe r confined b y th e 199 7 question . Ne w change s ar e shape d b y loca l history as much a s by the China factor. Rather than being an isolate d entity, Hon g Kon g is an outcome o f interaction amon g local history , national context, an d global linkages. An understanding o f the futur e development o f Hon g Kon g require s sensitivit y t o thi s contextua l complexity. The volumes in this series are committed t o making Hong Kon g studies addres s ke y issue s an d debate s i n th e socia l sciences . Eac h volume situates Hong Kong culture and society within contemporar y theoretical discourse . Behin d th e description s o f socia l an d cultura l life i s a conceptua l dialogu e betwee n loca l agenda , regiona l issues , and global concerns . x Serie s Forewor d This serie s focuse s o n changin g socio-economi c structures , shifting politica l parameters , institutiona l restructuring , emergin g public cultures , an d expandin g globa l linkages . I t cover s a rang e o f issues, includin g socia l movements , socializatio n int o a nationa l identity, th e effec t o f ne w immigrant s fro m th e Mainland , socia l networks o f famil y member s i n othe r countries , th e impac t o f th e colonial legacy on the identity of forthcoming generations, trade union organization withi n th e shiftin g politica l landscape , linkage s wit h Southeast Asia n societies , Hon g Kong' s ne w rol e betwee n Taiwa n and th e Chines e mainland , th e transformatio n o f popula r culture , the globalizatio n o f socia l life , an d th e globa l engagemen t o f Hon g Kong's universities i n th e fac e o f national integration . Gerard A . Postiglion e Tai-lok Lu i Series Genera l Editor s ...