Alexia Rutkowski
PhD
Asia Institute
I'm a PhD Student at the University of Melbourne's Asia Institute. Originally born in Melbourne, my family moved to Hong Kong when I was five years old. Upon returning to Melbourne, my research has been dedicated to contextualising Hong Kong's political environment.
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Thesis
The Rise of the Yellow Umbrellas: A Historical Reflection of Hong Kong's Political Culture Through Social Movements
My research is focused on Hong Kong, from the 1940s onwards, to illustrate why people from Hong Kong feel that they are different to those from Mainland China. This difference in identity will be examined through social movements, where the people of Hong Kong have resisted the influence of both British colonial rule and the encroaching influence of the People's Republic of China. A secondary aim of this research is to present why it can be challenging to encapsulate the people of Hong Kong in one identity or a national identity due to the fractured nature of Hong Kong society.
Research interests
- History
- China
- Hong Kong
- Social movements
- Legacies of colonialism