Visual Ethics and Emotional Appeals of Experimental Rats

2024

This study traces the brief genealogy of rat figures in scientific communities and discusses how it reflects the attitude toward emotion, ethics, and humanities through visual representation. Starting from the history of using rats as the standard laboratory animal in 1914, I framed rat figures in representative scientific journals from the 1910s to the present as a case study. I summarized the visual conventions of different phrases. I argued that in the digital age, scientific visualization has employed various aspects of humanities and ethical considerations, even in the hardest natural science. The tendency raised the reflection of humanity, ethics, and emotion as an increasingly important topic in this digital era.

Field Report: Neurorhetoric

2024

Neurorhetorics is an important field that emerged in an era when the “global mental health crisis” prevailed worldwide (Gruber et al., 2024). Understanding the brain has been deeply embedded in social problems (Gruber et al., 2024; Jack, 2010; Graham, 2009), social media (Thornton, 2011), popular culture (Gibbons, 2014; Thornton, 2011), and interdisciplinary studies (Gruber et al., 2024; Jewel, 2016; Mays & Jung, 2012). As Gruber points out the high exigency of neurorhetoric in an important forum in Rhetorical Society Quarterly, “Examinations of cognition and the brain pop up tactically and discursively around so many contemporary cultural crises that rhetorical scholars hope to understand better and confront.” (Gruber et al., 2024, p. 382)

​In this subfield report, I first overview the field of neurorhetorics, providing the origin and the main themes of neurorhetorics. Then, I will specifically dive into the topic of brain images, the most frequent artifacts in neurorhetoric studies, and neurodiversity, one of the most important divisions under the discussion of neurorhetorics, which broadens the understanding of both neurorhetorics and neuroscience (Jack, 2010; Jack & Appelbaum, 2010).

A Walking Ethnography of Everyday Strategy on Beimen Street

2023

The conflict between traditional culture and contemporary urban development in Huizhou’s historic districts is complex. While traditional culture often clashes with modern commercialization, both approaches present challenges. Rapid urban renewal over the past two decades has led to urban sprawl, while recent efforts to monetize historic districts through cultural regeneration and internet celebrity (网红, Wanghong) culture have sparked resistance among residents. For example, in Foshan, a resident displayed a chalkboard criticizing the influence of Wanghong culture, reflecting a rejection of both monetization-driven renewal and the erosion of traditional lifestyles.  

This project examines these tensions with a focus on Beimen Street. It explores how urban renewal reshapes residents’ lives and how they navigate the conflict between tradition and contemporary development. Drawing on Michel de Certeau’s everyday practices, the study employs walking, sensory observation, drawing, and photography to understand these dynamics. Field notes and visual data were systematically analyzed using AtlasTi, providing deeper insights into the residents’ strategies and everyday experiences.

* Funded by Humanities and Social Science Research Projects in Huizhou (Key Program), Huizhou, Guangdong