Introduction: Theoretical Orientations and Professional Positionings

This special issue is the fruit of a transpacific collaboration that began with an international conference held at Lingnan University of Hong Kong in the summer of 2019. In planning this special issue, I wanted a broader perspective and issued an open call for papers, hoping for a real cross section of innovative scholarship pursued by scholars of diverse theoretical interests. When all the proposals were collected, I was delighted to see not only a rich diversity of approaches but also an ideal mix of prominent, midcareer, and early-career participants. Working with these colleagues during and after the conference was a most gratifying experience as it enabled me to learn more about various critical approaches. I would like to first share my appreciation of their critical insights and then invite everyone, participants and readers alike, to consider the inevitable limitations of our theoretical and professional commitments so that we may find possible ways to overcome them.