DR IBRAR BHATT & HENG WANG: A Semiotics of Muslimness in China
| Dates: | 20 February 2024 |
|---|
| Times: | 17:00 - 18:30 |
|---|
| What is it: | Seminar |
|---|
| Organiser: | Manchester China Institute |
|---|
| Who is it for: | University staff, Adults, Alumni, Current University students, General public |
|---|
| Speaker: | Dr Ibrar Bhatt, Heng Wang |
|---|
|
In this in-person talk, Dr Ibrar Bhatt and Heng Wang explore the semiotic heritage of Sino-Muslim communities in China.
In this presentation, we speakers delve into the intricate connections between the literacies of religious practice, food heritage, and artistic expression within Sino-Muslim communities in China. Drawing from a comprehensive data set obtained through a study of Sino-Muslim heritage literacy (funded by the Leverhulme Trust), we examine semiotic material prevalent in Sino-Muslim daily life and heritage practice, such as restaurant signage, religious practice, and art work. Additionally, we complement this with insights from interviews with Sino-Muslims about their heritage. Our aim is to understand how signs of ‘Muslimness’ are displayed and manipulated in both nuanced and diverse ways, with respect to their ties to heritage and religion. Through a commitment to everyday heritage literacy, we illustrate how Sino-Muslim heritage is expressed, constructed, and remembered through various intertwined spheres of social activity.
Speakers
Dr Ibrar Bhatt
Role: Senior Lecturer in Education & Applied Linguistics
Organisation: Queen’s University Belfast
Biography: Dr Ibrar Bhatt is Senior Lecturer in Education & Applied Linguistics at Queen’s University Belfast (Northern Ireland, UK). His research interests encompass literacy studies, education, and contemporary digital epistemologies. Between 2021-2023 he was the recipient of a research fellowship funded by the Leverhulme Trust for a study on Sino-Muslim heritage literacy in China. He is author of ‘A Semiotics of Muslimness’ published by Cambridge University Press.
Heng Wang
Role: Chinese language and classical Chinese dance teacher
Organisation: Chinese Community School in Belfast
Biography: Heng Wang was a researcher on the Sino-Muslim heritage literacy project, funded by the Leverhulme Trust. She is also a teacher of Chinese language and classical Chinese dance, and works at the Chinese Community School in Belfast (Northern Ireland). She holds a Master’s in TESOL & Applied Linguistics, and in her spare time she studies Chinese-Islamic calligraphy and Islamic Theology.
Travel and Contact Information
Find event
Boardroom
Oddfellows Hall
Manchester
