International experts discuss China’s BRI in Uppsala

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On 27 and 28 May IRES gathered a group of international experts in Uppsala to discuss cultural, political and social consequences of ”One Belt, One Road Initiative” - a grand multilevel cooperation platform actively promoted by the Chinese Government. The conference connected scholars and practitioners across Europe, Asia and North America from a variety of disciplines to facilitate discussion on the cultural, political, and social implications of the current unfolding of the BRI in Eurasia. Conference organizers also unveiled a new digital BRI Research Platform that aims at charting an effective multidisciplinary approach for understanding the BRI-related initiatives in Eurasia and beyond. The platform represents a whole variety of disciplines from political science, economics and geography to history, geography, art history and anthropology.  

The organizers are thrilled with the outcome of the conference and the move beyond the specter of the widespread assessments of the BRI-implied processes in Eurasia. Based on the conference materials a special journal issue or an edited volume ‘China’s Belt and Road Initiative and a New Era of Transcultural Networks?” is being planned. The organizers also aim at expanding their digital project on the BRI and building a larger research platform to expand the newly established research network for developing an effective multidisciplinary assessment of China’s policies in Eurasia. 

The conference was arranged with the generous financial support of the Swedish Foundation for Humanities and Social Sciences and Uppsala Forum on Democracy, Peace and Justice. For the programme please visit conference homepage.