Ghosts of the Present: Nationalism and Sinitic Cosmopolitanism in the Medieval Far South

Description

This one-day conference, “Ghosts of the Present: Nationalism and Sinitic Cosmopolitanism in the Medieval Far South,” scheduled for April 17, 2026, brings together an interdisciplinary group of archaeologists, linguists, historians, and literary specialists to investigate the “vernacular realities” of the medieval far south, a region traditionally known as Lingnan/Lĩnh Nam (嶺南) that spans present-day Southern China and Northern Vietnam. By moving beyond modern nationalist historiographies that often categorize this period as strictly “Chinese” or “Vietnamese,” the symposium explores the cultural, linguistic, and political integrity and connectivity of a region that historically defied these modern borders. Through a keynote address, three panels, and a concluding roundtable, participants will examine how local practices in situ engaged with, appropriated, or resisted Sinitic imperial values. Ultimately, the conference seeks to historicize local experiences and critique the nationalist interventions that have shaped our understanding of East and Southeast Asian histories, offering new methodological insights into the medieval past and its modern afterlives.