We are pleased to announce that Ernest Leung is the inaugural recipient of the Global Hong Kong Essay and Creative Project Award. Leung, who is a master’s student in the joint York and Toronto Metropolitan University Communication & Culture program, received the award for his paper, Humour and Political Resistance: Dayo Wong’s Stand-Up Comedy in Hong Kong.

The Bernard H.K. Luk Memorial Lecture in Hong Kong Studies committee adjudicated the award, noting that Leung’s paper registers the importance of humour as a weapon for speaking up against power. By focusing on Dayo Wong (黃子華)and his two shows, he reengage us with the power of humour and public performance, the question of voice and censorship, and the criticality of laughing and laughter in confronting politics of the post-2014 Hong Kong.

Yuk-Lin Renita Wong (School of Social Work), who chairs the committee, said that Ernest’s topic captures a unique aspect of Hong Kong culture—politics, humour/comedy and language—that has not been explored in existing literature to date.

Ernest’s research interests include comedy and humour studies, political economy of media, and cultural studies. A recipient of the Canada Graduate Scholarship, he is working on his MA thesis that examines the use of humour in stand-up comedy to address anti-Asian racism in North America during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is an Associate of the YCAR and the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies. He also holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Toronto. In his role as a research assistant at various academic institutions (including University of Toronto, Toronto Metropolitan University, and York University), he has received various opportunities to engage in scholarly activities and apply knowledge from his studies.

We will publish Ernest’s paper as part of the “New Voices on Global Hong Kong,” a special occasional paper or creative project series at YCAR. Look for the paper in summer 2022.