Alumni Profile: Q&A With Jing Jing Chang

Cinema Studies Institute alumna, Dr. Jing Jing Chang joins the Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU) Faculty this semester as an Assistant Professor. Alongside with two former alumni who now teach at WLU (Dr. Katherine Spring and Dr. Philippa Gates), Dr. Chang joins a cadre of film specialists who focus on Hong Kong cinema.

Dr. Chang sat down with the Innis Alumni Network to tell us a little bit about her research, her time at U of T, and her future as a Professor.

Please tell me about your dissertation on Hong Kong cinema?

My dissertation, entitled Towards a Local Community: Colonial Politics and Postwar Hong Kong Cinema, and written under the supervision of Professors Poshek Fu, Antoinette Burton, Sarah Projansky and Tonglin Lu, uses film to shed new light on our understanding of postwar Hong Kong and the colonial history of community building. The 1950s/1960s was a period of social turmoil and enormous uncertainty for the colony; it is however, also a period little understood in relation to Hong Kong’s development from a remote British colony into a hypermodern global city in the 1980s and 1990s. Ideological struggles in Cold War Hong Kong were waged in the realm of an increasingly politicized local society, as Hong Kong became a battleground for the ideological struggles between pro-Communist and pro-Nationalist sympathizers, both vying for the allegiance of the Hong Kong public. Using film as archival evidence, I aim to explore the relationship between British colonial rule and Hong Kong’s grassroots population, on the one hand, and on the other hand, to foster an alternative understanding of being Chinese in the Cold War.

I understand you will be working with two other U of T graduates: Katherine Spring and Phillip Gates. It’s a pretty interesting fact that all three of you are Cinema Studies Institute graduates, and you all specialize in Honk Kong film.

Dr. Philippa Gates had already graduated before I started Cinema Studies at UofT so I didn’t know her before coming to Wilfrid Laurier University. But I did know Dr. Katherine Spring. We never took a class together but I remember chatting with her once or twice outside of the Innis Library.

What was your time as a Cinema Studies student like?

I enjoyed my experience as a Cinema Studies student at UofT very much. Every class was a new discovery for me. I was exposed to the most important filmmakers there (Tarkovsky, D.W. Griffith, Wong Kar-wai, Federico Fellini, Ingmar Bergman, Luis Bunuel, Francois Truffaut, etc.). I also enjoyed learning about the theories of Althusser, Laura Mulvey, Roland Barthes. I learned how to be a critical spectator, student, and scholar of cinema studies.

What were your most valuable experiences?

I would say every experience I had at Innis College was valuable. I think the most amazing experience was the film screenings at Town Hall. It was always such a treat to watch 35 mm films on a big screen. The students who saw the films together shared more then a class together, but a journey to a whole new world that we never knew about. I also enjoyed hanging out with fellow classmates at the Innis Café. We would talk non-stop about the films that we had just watched together.

Any particular professor, or individuals at U of T who have made a significant impression on your life and career?

I enjoyed all my Cinema Studies classes, from courses on Film Authorship to Italian Neorealism. All my professors made a huge impression on me. They included: Bart Testa, Charlie Keil, Kass Banning, Peter Fitting, Cam Tolton, among many others. I remember talking with Cam Tolton, who was the Chair at the time, over the phone about getting a Major in Cinema Studies. He was extremely supportive. Cam Tolton was also a very passionate cinephile. I remember meeting him for the first time at the Toronto International Film Festival. Most importantly, the librarians at Innis Library were always very helpful to me when I had to write papers.

How did your time and experiences at U of T prepare you for life after graduation? Please tell me about your Graduate studies at U of T and University of Illinois.

After I finished my BA in Cinema Studies, I did a Master’s degree in Archival Science at the Faculty of Information at UofT, and worked for a year as an Archivist at the Archives of Ontario. I then pursued a PhD in History and Cinema Studies at the University of Illinois to study modern Chinese history, and the cultural history of Chinese cinema with Professor Poshek Fu.

My studies at UofT had prepared me very well for my PhD studies in terms of rigor, dedication, and determination. I was also exposed to professors who were passionate about their teaching and research.

Most importantly, my interdisciplinary backgrounds enabled me to rediscover film and film studies from a whole different angle and new perspective.

Please tell us about your position at the University of Waterloo?

I am Assistant Professor in Film Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University. I am currently teaching two 300-level classes, Cold War in Film, and World Cinemas. Next semester, I will be teaching a graduate seminar, entitled Colonial Modernity and Identity Politics in Film, and East Asian Film –a 300 level course.

How has your transition into teaching been?

My transition into teaching has been very smooth, thanks to the freedom that the department has given me in developing my own courses. Most importantly, I have very friendly and supportive colleagues whom I can turn to when I have any problems. The students at WLU are a joy to teach. They have a great deal of passion about film, and their energy and enthusiasm are contagious. Whenever I walk into the classroom, I just can’t help but smile when I see their eagerness and joy in learning about cinema from around the world.