Author: Editor

New Book Announcement: “The Dean of Shandong: Confessions of a Minor Bureaucrat at a Chinese University” by Daniel A Bell

The Dean of Shandong: Confessions of a Minor Bureaucrat at a Chinese University, Daniel A Bell (Princeton University Press, March 2023)
The Dean of Shandong: Confessions of a Minor Bureaucrat at a Chinese University, Daniel A Bell (Princeton University Press, March 2023)

On 1 January 2017, Daniel Bell was appointed dean of the School of Political Science and Public Administration at Shandong University—the first foreign dean of a political science faculty in mainland China’s history. In The Dean of Shandong, Bell chronicles his experiences as what he calls “a minor bureaucrat”, offering an inside account of the workings of Chinese academia and what they reveal about China’s political system. It wasn’t all smooth sailing—Bell wryly recounts sporadic bungles and misunderstandings—but Bell’s post as dean provides a unique vantage point on China today.

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New Book Announcement: “History of Japanese Art after 1945: Institutions, Discourse, Practice” by Kitazawa Noriaki, Kuresawa Takemi and Mitsuda Yuri

History of Japanese Art after 1945: Institutions, Discourse, Practice, Kitazawa Noriaki, Kuresawa Takemi, Mitsuda Yuri (euven University Press, February 2023)
History of Japanese Art after 1945: Institutions, Discourse, Practice, Kitazawa Noriaki, Kuresawa Takemi, Mitsuda Yuri (Leuven University Press, February 2023)

History of Japanese Art after 1945 surveys the development of art in Japan since WWII. The original Japanese work, which has become essential reading for those with an interest in modern and contemporary Japanese art and is a foundational resource for students and researchers, spans a period of 150 years, from the 1850s to the 2010s. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific period and written by a specialist.

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New Book Annoucement: “Rethinking Community in Myanmar: Practices of We-Formation among Muslims and Hindus in Urban Yangon” by Judith Beyer

Rethinking Community in Myanmar: Practices of We-Formation among Muslims and Hindus in Urban Yangon, Judith Beyer (NIAS Press, February 2023)
Rethinking Community in Myanmar: Practices of We-Formation among Muslims and Hindus in Urban Yangon, Judith Beyer (NIAS Press, February 2023)

In this first anthropological study of Muslim and Hindu lives in urban Myanmar today, Beyer develops the concept of ‘we-formation’ to demonstrate that individuals are always more than members of wider groups. ‘We-formation’ complements her rich political, legal and historical analysis of ‘community’, a term used by Beyer’s interlocutors themselves, even as it reinforces ethno-religious stereotypes and their own minority status.

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New Book Announcement: “The Precious Summary: A History of the Mongols from Chinggis Khan to the Qing Dynasty”

The Precious Summary: A History of the Mongols from Chinggis Khan to the Qing Dynasty, Sagang Sechen, Johan Elverskog (trans) (Columbia University Press, March 2023)
The Precious Summary: A History of the Mongols from Chinggis Khan to the Qing Dynasty, Sagang Sechen, Johan Elverskog (trans) (Columbia University Press, March 2023)

The Mongols, their khans, and the empire they built and ruled in the 13th and 14th centuries exert an enduring fascination. Caricatured as a marauding horde that ravaged surrounding peoples, in reality the Mongols created institutions, trading networks, economic systems, and intellectual and technological exchanges that shaped the early modern world. However, the centuries after the waning of Mongol power remain overlooked in comparison to the days of Chinggis Khan.

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New Book Announcement: “New Threats to Academic Freedom in Asia”, edited by Dimitar D Gueorguiev

New Threats to Academic Freedom in Asia, Dimitar D Gueorguiev (Association for Asian Studies, January 2023)
New Threats to Academic Freedom in Asia, Dimitar D Gueorguiev (Association for Asian Studies, January 2023)

New Threats to Academic Freedom in Asia examines the increasingly dire state of academic freedom in Asia. Using cross-national data and in-depth case studies, the authors shed light on the multifaceted nature of academic censorship and provide reference points to those working in restrictive academic environments.

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New Book Announcement: “Plato Goes to China: The Greek Classics and Chinese Nationalism” by Shadi Bartsch

Plato Goes to China: The Greek Classics and Chinese Nationalism, Shadi Bartsch (Princeton University Press, March 2023)
Plato Goes to China: The Greek Classics and Chinese Nationalism, Shadi Bartsch (Princeton University Press, March 2023)

As improbable as it may sound, an illuminating way to understand today’s China and how it views the West is to look at the astonishing ways Chinese intellectuals are interpreting—or is it misinterpreting?—the Greek classics. In Plato Goes to China, Shadi Bartsch offers a provocative look at Chinese politics and ideology by exploring Chinese readings of Plato, Aristotle, Thucydides, and other ancient writers. She shows how Chinese thinkers have dramatically recast the Greek classics to support China’s political agenda, diagnose the ills of the West, and assert the superiority of China’s own Confucian classical tradition.

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New Book Announcement: “Radio for the Millions: Hindi-Urdu Broadcasting Across Borders” by Isabel Huacuja Alonso

Radio for the Millions: Hindi-Urdu Broadcasting Across Borders, Isabel Huacuja Alonso (Columbia University Press, January 2023) Columbia University Press
Radio for the Millions: Hindi-Urdu Broadcasting Across Borders, Isabel Huacuja Alonso (Columbia University Press, January 2023)

From news about World War II to the broadcasting of music from popular movies, radio played a crucial role in an increasingly divided South Asia for more than half a century. Radio for the Millions examines the history of Hindi-Urdu radio during the height of its popularity from the 1930s to the 1980s, showing how it created transnational communities of listeners.

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