Hello! I’m James Simpson, and I have been an Associate Professor in the Division of Humanities at HKUST since 2021. I carry out research in language education and migration, and the sociolinguistics of mobility. Since coming to Hong Kong, my interest in belonging as a research topic has grown, alongside my very personal interest in what it is to belong in a new place. My work in general coheres around a concern with language and social justice, particularly for people on the move. In my research I analyse communicative practices relating to migrant language education, language diversity, language policy, and literacy, identity and culture.

Hello! I’m Jennifer, one of the members of the BRN team. I am delighted to join the team, where I learned a lot from other members and heard many creative ideas through the seminar series. I recently completed my MA International Language Education programme and will be a new MPhil student in the Division of Humanities at HKUST in the academic year 2022-2023. I am interested in investment in Chinese language learning for secondary students of South Asian backgrounds in Hong Kong, which involves belonging to a large extent.

Hello! I'm Anish, and currently doing Environmental Aesthetics in the Division of Humanities in HKUST. Having spent a little over a year in Hong Kong, this city has been incredibly kind to me, allowing me to meet a whole host of amazing people, while at the same time shedding light on some under-discussed questions. The idea of belonging – what it entails and how it is often challenged based on factors out of one's control – has been one of them. This research network allows me to contribute to bringing together people doing interesting and important work with this respect.

Hey! I am Ahnaaf, a member of the BRN team. Hailing from diverse backgrounds, I was often asked the daunting question, where are you from? I never had a direct answer and my Accounting major was not of much help. That is when I decided to embrace the humanities courses/department that HKUST had to offer. Through it, I am able to meet interesting personalities from around the world that each have valuable insight and experiences. Finally, I want to help others who may be interested in learning more about themselves.

Greetings! Michelle here, and I’m the resident web designer and BRN project manager. My research interests lie at the intersection of structural language contact variation, translanguaging (sometimes transmodal) emergence, and how they surface in language use — and in particular their sociocultural implications of belongingness and identity. I am also interested in the role of community-based, multimodal creative digital media in bridging understanding and co-creation between academia and local communities, especially in the realms of arts, language, and humanities.

Hi there! I’m Christine, full time RA for Navigating Belonging and a member of the Nexus BRN team. I am a Filipino writer, researcher, and filmmaker from Hong Kong. At the heart of my interdisciplinary research and praxis lies a broader interest in the relationship between memory, migration, and “post”-/anti-/decoloniality in the context of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, specifically the Philippines. My writing has been published in the International Journal of Diaspora & Cultural Criticism, and Ekphrasis, Kritika Kultura, PEN Hong Kong, Voice & Verse, Spill Stories [forthcoming], and Verge: Studies in Global Asias.

I am an Indian by descent and a Hong Konger at heart. I am the Senior Social Worker at Christian Action’s Center for Refugees, Chungking Mansions, Kowloon, and my clients are refugees and asylum seekers from countries including India, Pakistan, Somalia, Eritrea, Egypt, Yemen, Rwanda, Iran, and Sri Lanka. I advocate locally through government, media and public channels, and make regular appearances in the press and digital media discussing refugee and asylum seeker rights and issues. I am passionate about soccer, and in 2015 captained the UCCA (United Colours of Christian Action) soccer team, winners of the 2015 Hong Kong Street Soccer League.

Hello there! I’m Adeline, and those that know better know me as Adi. I’m one of the members of the BRN team, and my limited expertise involves running commentary in a Trans-Atlantic accent as well as the resident sounding board. Pivoting from a 2 year period in HKU MBBS, I will be studying English Language and Literature in Oxford University this coming October. My interests include writing letters, neurodivergence and learning the recipes of my cultural heritage. The highway to my heart is paved with good food and good company, so if you’ve got a good story with food recommendations, I’m your man!

Hi! I am Chenye, an MGCS student at HKUST. I used to be a journalist and have worked in newspapers and TV stations. I enjoy listening to people tell their stories, and recording them on camera and in writing to reach more people. I am very delighted to participate in the BRN team to explore belonging in Hong Kong.

Hi guys, Fancia here! So glad to join the team! I really cherish the opportunity to get to know our interviewee’s stories of their sense of belonging. Having majored in sociology during college and currently doing a degree in Global China Studies at HKUST, I have always loved the qualitative method which allows me to feel the personal experiences of others. Attracted by the diverse and inclusive culture in Hong Kong, I started my narrative of belonging in HK as part of the BRN team.

Hi! My name is Li Yijun and my friends call me Winnie. I am currently in the MGCS Program at HKUST. As an ethnic minority girl (Hani) from Yunnan China, I kept asking myself where my sense of belonging came from, and I was lucky enough to be included in the BRN project, exploring belonging with other interesting people. I find that a large part of social life nowadays is that people struggle to maintain unfamiliar relationships. But being curious about the world, I find that the strangers around me are my pivot point to the bigger world and concrete interactions give me courage to face bigger challenges.