Research Spotlight Series: Priscila Barros & Yijing Li

The Principles of Classification of the United Nations: A Struggle for the Recognition of Self-determination Rights of Peoples

Priscila Barros, PhD candidate, Sociology

Drawing on Bourdieu’s approach to language and symbolic power, this talk frames the international field as a socially constructed reality in which the struggle for power hinges on encoding and decoding the principles of international law. Based on rigorous content analysis, it examines how language is wielded by those in power to shape social conditions that determine the possibilities for agency in the international field.

Research-Based Art in Chinese Contemporary Art: A Case Study of the Exhibition “About the War in Northern Myanmar”

Yijing Li, PhD candidate, Visual Arts

This talk considers how research-based art can explore the complexities of conflict, censorship, and the search for truth, with a particular emphasis on how it can contribute to the discourse on peace. It examines the artworks and curatorial practices of artists Zhang Yue and Bao Xiaowei, who are both engaged in challenging mainstream narratives surrounding the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the refugee experience in Kokang.