In July 2025 researchers and students of the Elite Graduate Program “Standards of Decision-Making Across Cultures (SDAC)” met for the Scientific Network Anthropology of China(s) conference under the topic “Ethnographizing China Multiple”. In the span of 4 days anthropologists had the opportunity to present and discuss their current research and offered insights into the academic process.
22 researchers, PhD candidates and students participated in the event hosted by the head of SDAC Prof. Jean-Baptiste Pettier. Invited were anthropologists, China experts and social scientists from the most prestigious German universities like Heidelberg University and the Free University of Berlin as well as international researchers from Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands and the US. The cultural background of the participants was diverse, providing an invaluable picture of how cutting-edge science and academic discourse are produced today.
Prof. Pettier ushered in the first day with his presentation on one of his current research topics with a text named “The Imperially Colonized: Sided Truths and Situated Versions of China as a Multiple Monolith”. Overarching themes of the conference besides “Ethnographizing China Multiple” were Digitalization, Feminism, Ecologies, and Ethics. Furthermore, topics representing anthropological research at FAU Erlangen included Chinese ways of dating, the controversial values and uses of seahorses in Chinese medicine, the ethics of male sex workers, and the decision-making processes of Chinese immigrants in German workplaces.
The conference involved rigorous discussion and the exchange of ideas. The presented themes also demonstrated the vast landscape of anthropological topics that can be explored about Chinese societies, and how these insights benefit the academic community.
Many students ask themselves this question. “The conference was a great opportunity to see researchers in action!”, says one of the students of the Elite Graduate Program “Standards of Decision-Making Across Cultures” who participated in the conference. Especially insightful was witnessing the process of crafting publications, their critical review and the in-depth discussions that are necessary to create scientific work. But researchers also benefited from the students’ perspectives and questions. The conference was widely regarded as a valuable opportunity for exchange and networking.
Text: Jessica Wengel, Elite Graduate Program “Standards of Decision-Making Across Cultures (SDAC)”
