Shapeshifting Under Empire

In this talk, 林思滴 Rachel Lim reflects on her lived experience as a second-generation 客家人 Hakka ngin from Sabah (Sandakan and Kudat), Malaysia. Never part of the dominant ethnic group anywhere she’s lived, her reality has consisted of shapeshifting, code-switching, and repression of identity—even within minority-majority spaces. She frames cultural reclamation as both recovery and resistance, challenging institutions that disguise racial discrimination as multicultural inclusion.

Drawing on ancestral memory and experience across movements, she argues that advocacy can transcend time and place. Learn about the early stages of her Masters thesis research on how Hakka immigrant labourers weaved solidarity with First Nations in nineteenth century B.C. She traces how the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush and Canadian Pacific Railway produced overlapping (yet distinct) forms of displacement and labour exploitation, promoting the formation of collective resistance to settler-colonial extractive violence under the genocide–ecocide nexus.

Led by 林思滴 Rachel Lim in English.

Tickets are pay what you can with a suggested donation of $8. Donations help cover speaker honouraria, refreshments, programming, equipment, insurance, utilities, and other venue operational costs of 客家 HAKKA HOUSE, a volunteer-run, non-profit community space. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. You must input at least $1 for the system to process your reservation. If you prefer to donate in cash or would like a free ticket, please email us at [email protected] for arrangements.

This is a mask mandatory event for the health and safety of all attendees, considering the size and layout of our small, close-knit, indoor space. Masks will also be available free on site.

Hosted by 客家 HAKKA HOUSE.

---

Tea and light refreshments will be provided.

---

• Masking: This is a mask-mandatory and scent-free event for the health and safety of all attendees, considering the size and layout of our small, close-knit, indoor space. Masks will also be available free on site.
• Ticketing: Tickets are pay what you can with suggested donation of $8. Donations help cover speaker honouraria, refreshments, programming, equipment, insurance, utilities, and other venue operational costs of 客家 HAKKA HOUSE, a volunteer-run, non-profit community space. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. You must input at least $1 for the system to process your reservation. If you prefer to donate in cash or would like a free ticket, please email us at [email protected] for arrangements.
• Language: This talk will be in English.
• Wheelchair Accessibility: The space is accessible to standard-sized wheelchairs.
• Seating: Wooden chair setting will be provided. Attendees are welcome to bring a small pillow or cushion for back support.
• Scent Policy: To support participants with chemical sensitivities, attendees are kindly asked to refrain from wearing scented products (including perfume, cologne, and heavily scented personal care products).
• Washrooms: Gendered, wheelchair-accessible public washrooms are available inside Chinatown Plaza Mall.
• Photography and Videography: Photography and videography will be in use during this event. By registering for a ticket and attending, you acknowledge that you may be photographed or recorded for promotional and archival purposes. If you do not wish to be included, please inform the event organizers in person prior to the start of the event.
• Transit: Chinatown is accessible by public transit via SkyTrain and bus. The closest SkyTrain station is Stadium–Chinatown. Bus routes in the area include the 3, 8, 19, and 22.
• Parking: Paid parking is available at the Chinatown Plaza Mall parkade. Free street parking is available in Strathcona.

If you have access needs or questions not addressed here, please contact us at [email protected] prior to the event.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher 客家 HAKKA HOUSE