Ruling through Division is an interdisciplinary research network mainly working with primary sources in Chinese. The aim of the network is to provide an open platform for conceptualizing how different forms of categorization work as an original and innovative means of identifying and controlling people and resources in China, and how people on the ground, state authorities and commercial agencies apply and reconfigure existing or emerging categories to change or maintain their roles in society. Network activities include an opening conference, three smaller seminars, and a closing conference. The opening conference will be an open call-for-paper conference where we will be able to recruit new members for the network.

Seminars will focus on the different elements that we expect to be included in articles written for special issues compiled through the network:

1. Histories of categorization
2. Digital categorization
3. Ethnographies of categorization