PRESS RELEASES | JUN 25, 2024

Introduction to HKU Law Series (VIII) Dr Jiahui Duan

In our conversation with Dr. Duan, she highlighted several factors that led her to join HKU Law. She was drawn to the university as a key bridge between Eastern and Western scholarly circles, allowing her to maintain a global perspective. As a researcher focusing on Chinese gender and employment issues, the university also offers her the right proximity to China. Notably, HKU Law’s transformation into a leading hub of social and legal research in Asia was a significant attraction. The presence of influential experts in the field of law and society allows Dr. Duan to learn from them and engage in meaningful discussions.

Dr. Duan obtained her LLB degree from Shandong University and pursued her Master’s and Doctoral degrees at UC Berkeley. She has been guided by an exceptional team of advisors, who are leading experts in anti-discrimination, feminist jurisprudence theory, and employment rights. Reflecting on her years at Berkeley, Dr. Duan believes it was not just about completing a thesis or earning a degree, but rather undergoing a profoundly enriching training experience.

Dr. Duan shared that her experience at HKU has been highly positive, appreciating the support from amicable colleagues, engaged students, and an impeccably efficient administration system. The campus, with its captivating blend of cultures, has provided her with everything she could have wished for. Initially filled with curiosity and some fear, she now finds herself gradually savoring the experience. Dr. Duan believes that, in the not too distant future, a sense of belonging might settle in, akin to finding a home.

Dr. Duan is impressed by the remarkable maturity of students at HKU Law. They stand out among their peers, possessing a combination of sharp intellect, agility, and dedication to self-improvement. Most of these students exhibit a strong sense of planning for the future. They know exactly what their next steps will be and are ready to execute their plans. This level of preparedness and ambition has left an indelible mark on Dr. Duan.

Dr. Duan believes that there is no magic formula for the LLM application. Her advice is not to procrastinate and to begin preparations well in advance. Regarding the graduate school experience, she describes it as “blink and you miss it.” If she had the chance to go back, she would develop a more comprehensive game plan early on to foster personal improvement in a more streamlined and effective manner.

Dr. Duan’s research focuses on legal consciousness theory, feminist jurisprudence, and the dynamics of power and resistance. Her primary interest lies in examining the intricate interplay between gender frameworks and organizational structures, particularly how they interact, diverge, and converge to shape law in reality. A central issue that has captured her attention is sexual harassment. Driven by a strong sense of empathy, Dr. Duan connects deeply with the struggles of women and worker communities. She hopes to make a small impact in sparking change. On an academic level, she finds the field offers a rich blend of legal and sociological theories that stimulate her intellect.

As a scholar, Dr. Duan experiences fulfillment at certain moments. One such moment is when she shares the findings from her work with previous participants or those she knows in real life who have experienced similar issues. Another source of excitement for Dr. Duan is when her work gains recognition from esteemed scholars she has long admired. Yet research also comes with great challenges, and for Dr. Duan, the biggest challenge is navigating fieldwork complexities and gathering data, which requires collaboration from various actors and institutions. Convincing them to support research without immediate returns can be difficult. One experience with an NGO made her consider how academic research can better integrate with practical institutions and benefit both.

Dr. Duan also envisages the future of her research field. She is generally optimistic given the shift in gender perspective and legal consciousness in China and East Asian societies. She sees progress being embraced and younger scholars actively participating in this wave. However, gender issues are often marginalized in law schools worldwide, which might lead to limited resource allocation and research space, potentially hindering the aspirations of younger scholars.

After publishing two articles in 2023, Dr. Duan anticipates sharing another paper later this year that explores the intricate dynamics of the Chinese workplace. In this paper, she examines the logic and motivations of victims within organizations, discussing their choices to trigger internal dispute resolution processes or abstain from doing so and the challenges they face while navigating these paths.

For an academic proposal, Dr. Duan notes the importance of many elements, including the subject, research methodologies, schedule, and theoretical framework. She prefers to start with a theoretical framework, as it shapes assumptions, helps determine methodologies, and influences future research directions. An in-depth literature review is also essential to show how the research fits into the current landscape, bridges gaps, and addresses unresolved issues.

Dr. Duan views independent research as a way to explore issues with freedom. She believes that successful collaborative research should be based on a foundation of independent research or demonstrated autonomy. Before engaging in collaboration, one should evaluate the interpersonal dynamics to ensure comfort and satisfaction, as well as the tangible benefits that collaboration can provide, such as knowledge, insights, and technical skill sets. Only if these criteria are met will the collaboration be beneficial and productive.

Regarding the publication process, Dr. Duan offers a few tips: improve your writing skills and manage your expectations. Publication is not the sole determinant of one’s academic standing. Elements such as luck, the popularity of the research field, the global context, and even editors’ personal preferences contribute. Embrace the journey of constant progress, fine-tuning, and exploration, and eventually, your work will find its rightful place.

Dr. Duan favors empirical research methods like fieldwork interviews and participant observation studies. These methods help uncover society’s intricacies and provide a deeper understanding of the real world, adding emotional resonance to written work that theoretical research cannot achieve alone.

In her free time, Dr. Duan turns to exercise as a means of stress relief and has adopted a more adventurous lifestyle. She enjoys squash and swimming for their calorie-burning, goal-oriented nature and the focus they provide on the present moment. These independent activities also offer flexibility and accessibility.

Dr. Duan appreciates Robert Frost’s poetry, which explores life’s unpredictability and self-awareness. She finds his themes of chaos, the unknown, and introspection fascinating, as well as the idea that embracing the unknown reinforces self-awareness amidst life’s uncertainties.

Concluding the interview, Dr. Duan shares her favorite movies. Her top choices are Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” for its compelling narrative and top-notch craftsmanship, David Fincher’s “Fight Club” for its thought-provoking insights on identity-seeking in modern society, and the German film “The Lives of Others,” which she recommends for a deeply moving and enriching experience.

在與段博士的談話中,她強調了自己選擇加入香港大學法律學院的幾個重要原因。首先,港大作為聯結東西方學術界的重要紐帶,能為她的研究提供全球視野。其次,作為一位專注於研究中國性別與就業問題的學者,港大的地理位置使她能與中國保持緊密聯繫。此外,值得一提的是,港大法律學院已發展成為亞洲頂尖的法律與社會研究中心,這對她具有巨大的吸引力。在這裏,眾多法律與社會領域的知名學者匯聚一堂,段博士有很多機會向他們學習並參與富有成效的討論。

段博士曾就讀於山東大學,獲得法學學士學位,隨後赴美國加州大學伯克利分校攻讀碩士與博士學位。在伯克利,她得到了一支實力強大的導師團隊的指導,這些導師都是反歧視、女權法學理論和就業權利領域的頂級專家。回首在伯克利度過的時光,段博士認為這不僅是為了完成論文或取得學位,更是一段意義深遠的成長與磨練過程。

段博士在港大的經歷十分美好,她非常感激友好的同事們、熱情的學生以及高效的行政管理體系給予的支持。這裏的校園匯聚了各種迷人的文化元素,為她提供了她所期望的一切。段博士相信,在不久的將來,她會在這裏找到一種歸屬感,就如同找到一個家一般。

段博士對港大法學院的學生素養讚不絕口。這些學生在同齡人中表現出色,既具備敏銳的智慧,又擁有靈活的思維,全身心投入於自我提升。他們大多具有強烈的未來規劃意識,清晰地知道接下來應該如何行動,並已做好實施計劃的準備。這種充分的準備和遠大的抱負給段博士留下了深刻的印象。

談到法學碩士申請時,段博士表示其實並沒有什麼神奇的秘訣。她的建議是不要拖延,要提前做好充分的準備。研究生生涯 「轉瞬即逝」。如果能夠重來,她會儘早制定更為全面的規劃,以更簡潔、更高效的方式推動自身的成長與進步。

段博士的研究領域主要集中在法律意識理論、女權主義法學以及權力與反抗的動態。她對性別框架與組織結構之間錯綜複雜的相互作用有着濃厚的興趣,尤其關注它們如何交織、區分和整合以塑造現實生活中的法律。近期,她關注的核心問題是性騷擾。在強烈同理心的驅使下,段博士能夠深切感受到女性和勞動者群體的掙扎。她期望能在推動變革方面發揮一定作用。從學術角度來看,她認為這個領域為法律和社會學理論提供了豐富的資源,不斷激發着她的靈感和思考。

作為一名學者,段博士的成就感源於特定的時刻。其中一個時刻便是與曾參與她研究的人或在現實生活中遇到過類似問題的人分享研究成果。另一個讓她興奮的時刻是得到一直敬仰的知名學者的認可。然而,研究過程中也充滿了挑戰。對段博士而言,最大的挑戰在於應對田野調查的複雜性和收集數據,這需要與不同的參與者和機構展開合作。說服他們支持沒有直接回報的研究可能頗具難度。她曾在非政府組織的一次經歷中深思如何更好地將學術研究與實際機構相結合,從而使雙方受益。

展望未來,段博士對自己研究領域的發展抱有很高的期望。她看到中國和東亞社會在性別觀念和法律意識方面正經歷積極的變革,進步逐漸被人們接受,年輕學者們也紛紛投身於這股變革浪潮。然而,性別問題在全球範圍內的法學院往往被邊緣化,這可能導致資源分配不足和研究空間有限,從而在一定程度上阻礙了年輕學者的發展抱負。

繼2023年發表的兩篇文章之後,段博士預計將在今年晚些時候分享另一篇論文,聚焦於中國職場的複雜動態。在這篇文章中,她深入研究組織內受害者的思維邏輯和動機,探討他們在面臨矛盾時是選擇啟動內部糾紛解決程序還是保持沉默,以及在這些過程中所遇到的挑戰。

對於學術提案,段博士強調了許多關鍵要素,如主題、研究方法、時間表和理論框架等。她更傾向於從理論框架入手,因為它有助於構建假設、明確研究方法並引導未來研究方向。此外,深入的文獻綜述也是不可或缺的一環,它可以展示研究者如何將自己的研究融入現有的研究背景,彌補知識空缺並回答尚待解決的問題。

段博士認為,獨立研究是一種自由探索問題的途徑。成功的合作研究應當建立在獨立研究或自主性的基礎上。在展開合作之前,有必要評估人際關係的動態,確保合作過程中的舒適度和滿意度,同時要關注合作所能帶來的實際利益,如知識、見解和技術技能等。只有在滿足這些條件下,合作才能取得豐碩的成果。

談及出版過程,段博士建議要專注於提高寫作能力,同時降低期望。出版成果並不完全代表學術能力。運氣、研究領域的熱度、全球背景乃至編輯的個人喜好等多種因素都會對出版產生影響。要學會擁抱調整和探索的過程,最終,你的作品將找到它合適的位置。

段博士在採訪中表示,她偏愛採用實證研究方法,如田野調查和參與式觀察等。這些方法有助於展現社會的複雜性,加深對現實世界的理解,並為研究成果賦予情感共鳴,這是純理論研究難以達到的效果。

在閒暇時間,段博士會通過進行鍛煉來釋放壓力,並過上了富有探險精神的生活。她熱愛壁球和游泳,因為這些運動能夠燃燒卡路里,有明確的目標,使人專注於當下。這些個人活動還具備靈活性和可參與性。

段博士對羅伯特·弗羅斯特(Robert Frost)的詩歌情有獨鍾。他的作品探討了生活的不確定性和自我意識。其中關於混沌、未知和內省的主題,以及在生活變數中擁抱未知能增強自我認知的觀點,都深深地吸引了段博士。

採訪即將結束時,段博士向我們推薦了她最喜歡的三部電影:克里斯托弗·諾蘭(Christopher Nolan)執導的《星際穿越》(Interstellar);大衛·芬奇(David Fincher)執導的《搏擊俱樂部》(Fight Club);以及德國電影《竊聽風暴》(The Lives of Others)。

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