Angel Nayden received his Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from the University of Cambridge in 2023, having previously been trained at the London School of Economics (M.Sc. China in Comparative Perspective, B.Sc. Social Anthropology). His research seeks answers to the basic existential question of how humans find their place in time to establish a meaningful existence, particularly in China. Conceptually, he is interested in developing a unified account of time, value, selfhood, and recognition.

At the RIH, Angel receives mentorship from Prof. Teresa Kuan. His work is primarily focused on transforming his doctoral dissertation into a monograph under the working title Rhythms of Realisation: Time, Value, and Recognition in the Mountains of Southwest China. Based on long-term fieldwork in rural Sichuan, the manuscript examines the formative influence of value pursuits and their social realisation on the rhythmisation of human time. In addition to publications based on this research, he is also working on a follow-up project on the rhythms of life on the east Tibetan plateau to incorporate space, landscape, and environment into his thus far human-centric account of time.

Public Talks:
26 Nov. 2024 'Immediate Recognition and the End of Time: On the Synchronic Production of The Present in Rural Sichuan, China', The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Organized by the Centre for China Studies, CUHK

13 Dec. 2024 'Toward an Anthropology of Time and Recognition', Hong Kong Museum of History, Lecture Hall. Organized by The Hong Kong Anthropological Society in association with The Hong Kong Museum of History.