Conferences

Each year, the Center organizes an academic conference focused on topics consistent with the mission to study contemporary China. These annual conferences focus on themes proposed by Penn faculty and will feature leading experts on contemporary China from institutions around the world who will present original research papers and serve as discussants. Conference papers will be revised for publication— in edited volumes, special issues of academic journals, and/or working papers issued by the Center. The CSCC’s Executive Committee will evaluate proposals for organizing each academic year’s annual conference. Penn faculty may submit proposals to cscc-contact@sas.upenn.edu. Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis with a decision about the following year’s conference announced no later than April 30. If there is more than one outstanding proposal, or two complementary proposals, the Executive Committee could decide to fund two conferences for consecutive years. It is also possible that less expensive or smaller scale conferences in some years would permit funding more than one.

The conferences, the research that precedes them and the publications that follow them will contribute significantly to the quantity, quality and prominence of Penn-centered research on contemporary China, including especially the research agendas of Penn faculty in the field. Unless special circumstances make it impractical, attendance at the CSCC annual conferences is open to Penn faculty, staff, and students who are encouraged to participate in reading the papers and engaging the authors in the question and answer sessions that will follow the presentations. Penn graduate or advanced undergraduate students who are interested in playing a more active in the conference (e.g., as paper discussants, research assistants serving as rapporteurs, or helping to prepare conference proceedings for dissemination) should contact the CSCC at cscc-contact@sas.upenn.edu

Past Conferences



2024

Thirty Years of the Internet in China: A Retrospective

- CSCC Conference Room, PCPSE Room 418, 133 S. 36th St

Jointly organized by Center on Digital Culture and Society and Center for the Study of Contemporary China, University of Pennsylvania. Zoom option available for invited guests, and for the public during…



2023

US, China, and the Global South

CSCC 10th Annual Conference

Sep 21, 2023 - Sep 22, 2023 at - Silverman 147, Penn Carey Law, 3501 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA 19104

The world is moving beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and concerns about economic development have again become more urgent. In recent years, China has become a key player in global development as a leading source of…



2023

New Faces in Chinese Politics Conference

Aug 9, 2023 - Aug 10, 2023 at - CSCC Conference Room, PCPSE Room 418, 133 S. 36th St

Scholars in Chinese politics at six universities have formed a Consortium on New Faces in Chinese Politics and rotated organizing New Faces in Chinese Politics conferences at their home institutions, with the first…



2023

The Arc of Chinese Economy

CSCC 9th Annual Conference

Mar 31, 2023 - Apr 1, 2023 at - 2nd Floor Forum, Perelman Center for Policy Science & Economics, 133 S. 36th St, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Support of this conference by the China Research and Engagement Fund of the University of Pennsylvania is gratefully acknowledged.



2022

Penn CSCC-NYU Shanghai CASER Workshop on Inequalities and Child Development

- CSCC Conference Room, 133 S. 36th St, Room 418

Workshop Papers Download Link (for participants; password protected)



2022

CSCC 10th Anniversary & Postdoc Reunion Symposium

Jun 3, 2022 - Jun 4, 2022 at - CSCC Conference Room, 133 S. 36th St, Suite 416, Philadelphia

June 3, 9:15 -10:15 AM

Opening Remarks

Haohan Chen, University of Hong Kong

Listen to the Party! Understanding Emotional Propaganda in Authoritarian China with An Audio-As…



2022

The Party Leads All: The Evolving Role of the Chinese Communist Party

Examining the past, current, and potential future roles of the Communist Party in governing China

Apr 28, 2022 - Apr 29, 2022 at - Perelman Rm.101, 133 S. 36th St, Philadelphia

This book launch conference will be held on-site, but with a Zoom option.

To participate by Zoom, please register to receive a Zoom link:



2021

Cybernationalism in China and the World: Populism, Identity, and Symbolic Politics in the Digital Age

- Virtual Conference

This one-day symposium brings together distinguished scholars from around the world to address important questions about the technological and symbolic aspects of nationalism and populism and their implications for…



2021

Narratives of COVID-19 in China and the World: Technology, Society, and Nations

Mar 19, 2021 - Mar 20, 2021 at -

This virtual, international two-day symposium will examine narratives of COVID-19 in China and the world, considering topics like technology, society, and nations.  This event is co-sponsored by …



2021

Non-western Model: Urban and Rural China in Transition

Mar 5, 2021 - Mar 6, 2021 at - Virtual Event

This two-day event is organized by Urban China Collective at Penn, will focus on China’s opportunities and challenges today from the perspective of urban planning, design, economy, and governance. Please see details…