Flush with Fulbright scholars

Originally published by USC News on June 19, 2014. Written by Michelle Boston, Laura Paisley, Susan Bell and Pamela J. Johnson.

The politics of Hong Kong: Vivian Yan

Vivian Yan’s Fulbright research project grew out of a Problems Without Passports trip she took last summer to Hong Kong and Macau.

“The trip allowed me to dive into the history and politics of these two postcolonial cities,” said Yan, a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow who graduated from USC Dornsife in May with a double major in comparative literature and history.

As a Fulbright scholar, Yan will spend an academic year in Hong Kong examining the extent to which ethnic and social diversity shapes the ideologies created by political activism and exploring how these tensions create or destabilize ideas of Hong Kong identity.

Studying at the University of Hong Kong, Yan intends to use her Fulbright to create a foundation for graduate research in history or American studies.

She is particularly interested in the apparent dichotomy between the city’s pro-democratic stance and its often lamentable treatment of foreign domestic workers.

“I am interested in examining to what extent these pro-democracy movements in Hong Kong have an impact on activists campaigning for the rights of domestic workers.”

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