We invite you to join our new short-term course “The global network of the Hongmen Chee Kung Tong: Secrecy, esotericism and social insertion in the Chinese diaspora” by Visiting Professor Ricardo Martínez-Esquivel

Course: "The global network of the Hongmen Chee Kung Tong: Secrecy, esotericism and social insertion in the Chinese diaspora" examines the global history of the Chee Kung Tong (CKT) as one of the most influential associational networks within the Chinese diaspora. Emerging in the nineteenth century alongside largescale migration from southern China, the CKT developed into a transnational organization that combined mutual aid, sociability, ritual practice, and political engagement. Its branches provided protection, employment assistance, welfare services, and community infrastructure for migrants facing discrimination, economic precarity, and social isolation in host societies.

Scholarly debates surrounding the CKT focus on its esoteric and fraternal character—often described historically as a “secret society”—and its evolving political roles. By the early twentieth century, the organization had expanded across six continents and accumulated significant social and financial capital, enabling participation in broader Chinese political movements. Historically recognized as a precursor to the Zhigong Party, the CKT illustrates how diaspora networks shaped both overseas Chinese communities and developments within China itself.

Through historical analysis, this course situates the CKT within broader discussions of esoterism, migration, transnational sociability, associational culture, and the political agency of diaspora communities in global history

Seminar, 7 ECTS, 60 hours.

Classes: 12-10-2026 - 15-11-2026.

The full syllabus is available here.

USOSweb registration OPENS IN SEPTEMBER.

In order to register please contact the Institite via email: ipsc@uj.edu.pl. Please state your name and surname, student number, and the name of the course you would like to register to in the message.