Barbarians at the Gate

In this episode, we invite Rory Truex, an associate professor at Princeton University, to discuss a recurring issue on the podcast: the plight of the US-China academic exchange and the urgent need to attract more American scholars to do research in China. Despite the recent revival of several American academic programs in China, the post-COVID number of US students in the PRC is still woefully inadequate. Professor Truex gives an overview of some reasons for this deterioration of interest by American scholars and the challenges of doing meaningful research in the current Chinese academic environment. We also discuss predictions about the new Trump administration’s possible effects on US-China relations, the implications for government support and funding of educational exchange programs, and the perception of Chinese and American exchange students as security risks. Rory also describes his path of development as a China scholar during the so-called "Golden Age" of the early 2000s in China, and the current difficulties of carrying out unfettered academic research in a new era of tightening restrictions.Rory Truex is Associate Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University. His research focuses on Chinese politics and authoritarian systems. He regularly contributes to major publications such as The Atlantic, Washington Post, and New York Times.Mentioned on the podcast:“Where have all the American China experts gone?" Washington Post, January 3, 2024

MIT professor Tristan Brown discusses his award-winning book on how Feng Shui shaped law and society in imperial China. From environmental regulation to social order, discover how feng shui had less to do with furniture placement and was more about power, belonging, and the control of space in a rapidly evolving society.

Last week’s election of Donald Trump to a second term as U.S. President disappointed half of the American electorate and much of the world (outside the Kremlin). To help Jeremiah and David process what’s next, they’re joined by Brendan O’Kane— writer, translator, expert in the literature of the late Ming Dynasty, and a Pennsylvania voter. Brendan explores the works of Zhang Dai (張岱 1597-1634), the Jin Ping Mei 金瓶梅, and other literary examples from the twilight of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). What was it like to witness the end of an era and the collapse of an entire state? Was the Obama era an American "restoration" (中興)? What do people do when the political order is overturned and the dynasty falls? We delve into Chinese history and literature, searching for insights to ease the pain and make sense of what lies ahead. David also shares reactions from his students in Beijing on the election results—as well as rumors of a surprising (and unsettling) prank their peers in the U.S. may have pulled at campus polling stations.Brendan O'Kane on substackThe Southern Ming by Lynn Struve, 1984The Great Enterprise: The Manchu Reconstruction of Imperial Order in Seventeenth-Century China by Frederic Wakeman, 1986Voices from the Ming-Qing Cataclysm: China in the Tiger's Jaws. Edited and translated by Lynn A. Struve, 1993

"We can overestimate and underestimate how much things changed when Xi Jinping took power, but the intensity of concern over historical narratives has definitely grown under his leadership." - Jeffrey WasserstromIn this episode, Jeremiah and David are joined by Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Chancellor's Professor of History at the University of California, Irvine, and a leading expert in modern Chinese history. We discuss the legacies of the Hong Kong protests, the rise of Xi Jinping's historical narrative control, and how academic engagement with China is evolving amidst growing geopolitical tensions.Professor Wasserstrom delves into the shifts in how history is managed in China, particularly the tightening control under Xi Jinping’s regime. He elaborates on Xi’s new patriotic education law, which codifies the regime's control over historical narratives to align with national security. We also examine the challenges academics face when giving talks on sensitive topics and the growing restrictions on public discourse in Hong Kong since the imposition of the national security law.Further Reading/Links:Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Vigil: Hong Kong on the Brink Maura Cunnigham and Jeffrey Wasserstrom, China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know Follow Jeffrey Wasserstrom on Twitter @jwassers