Situated at a complex intersection where economic imperatives, socio-cultural transformations, and geopolitical shifts converge, technological trajectories within the orbit of “global China” have emerged as a pivotal force reconfiguring domestic fabrics and the international order. To navigate this complexity, the workshop transcends traditional disciplinary silos. We foster an interdisciplinary dialogue by bringing macro-level political economy into conversation with human-centered inquiries from the humanities and social sciences. By bridging disparate methodologies—from ethnographic and archival work to data-driven analysis—the workshop prompts a necessary rethinking of knowledge production in an era of technological transformation. We invite scholars at all career stages to collaboratively examine the socio-technical landscapes of ‘Global China’ as a critical, contested, and fundamentally interdisciplinary focal point of inquiry. The workshop features three synergistic open sessions: a forum on Critical Reflections on Studying Technology, a research seminar on Comparative Insights into Techno-economic Governance, and a panel on Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Digital Platforms. Together, we aim to generate new visions and critical reflections on the social life of technology in and through a transforming global China.

Workshop Schedule

9:30 – 10:45 AM
Forum: Critical Reflections on Studying Technology
Participants:
Susan Greenhalgh, John King and Wilma Cannon Fairbank Research Professor of Chinese Society, Department of Anthropology, Harvard University
Ya-Wen Lei, Professor of Sociology, Harvard University
Meg Rithmire, James E. Robison Professor of Business Administration, Business, Government, and International Economy Unit, Harvard Business School
Moira Weigel, Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature, Harvard University

10:45 – 11:05 AM
Refreshment Break

11:05 AM – 12:35 PM
Seminar: Comparative Insights into Techno-Economic Governance
Participants:
Jack Linzhou Xing, An Wang Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University Fairbank Center
Yolanda Yuxing Zhang, An Wang Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University Fairbank Center

12:35 – 2:00 PM
Lunch provided

2:00 – 3:30 PM
Panel: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Digital Platforms
Participants:
Julie Yujie Chen, Associate Professor, Institute of Communication, Culture, Information, and Technology (ICCIT) and Faculty of Information, University of Toronto
Joshua Neves, Associate Professor of Film and Moving Image Studies, Concordia University
Marc Steinberg, Professor, Film and Moving Image Studies, Concordia University
Lin Zhang, Associate Professor, Communication and Media Studies, University of New Hampshire