On imperial legacies in knowledge building in China: a gweilo’s view

Abstract Asia as method: toward deimperialization argues for learning within and across Asia. As he argues, understanding the role of the west has led to an inapt and unhelpful, obsessive regard for the west, while regional Asian comparisons can be valuable to more understand the role of various forces across diverse historical and cultural locations. This paper responds in part to Chen’s by comparing how knowledge production is understood in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland. By comparing sites, this paper sheds light on the cultural nature of knowledge building. Furthermore, this paper takes on what the author calls a gweilo's view, engaging in self-reflection and self-criticism as advised by Chen in relation to one's own positionality as an insider/outsider in comparative scholarly work. The paper examines the nature of a gweilo perspective, before comparatively examining knowledge building norms and their historical roots in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland. It concludes with reflections and implications for ethical scholarly engagement in an intersectional, interconnected world.