Political Science Commons^™

Long Live The Nation

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

“祖国万岁. Long Live the Nation.” The main pavilion of the Expo looks like a cross between a UFO and the hull of a ship. I spoke with some bystanders who turned out to be residents of the area. The old couple comes out everyday at night to marvel at the dramatic displays on the Expo pavilion. It seems that there isn’t enough to warrant a lawn chair but they beg to differ. It’s their city.

Photo by Grace Park, caption by Jonathan Hwang. Both are students at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies.

Organizational Life And Political Incorporation Of Two Asian Immigrant Groups: A Case Study, Sofya Aptekar

Publications and Research

Civil society is the foundation of a healthy democracy but its immigrant element has received little attention. This paper is a case study of immigrant organizations of highly skilled Asian Indians and Chinese immigrants in a suburban town of Edison, New Jersey. I find that civic participation of Asian Indian immigrants spills over into political incorporation while Chinese immigrant organizations remain margin- alized. I argue that local processes of racialization are central in explaining differences in political incorporation of immigrants. In the local context, the Chinese are seen as successful but conformist model minorities and Asian Indians as invaders and …

Learning From Lai Changxing?, Jeremy Brown, Xian Wang

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

Last year, Angilee Shah wrote a review at China Beat of Oliver August’s Inside the Red Mansion. The review inspired Simon Fraser University Professor Jeremy Brown to assign the text to a class and he recently invited the book’s protaganist, Lai Changxing, to join his class for a day. Brown and one of his students provide an account of the day’s visit below (for a write-up in Chinese, see this report at The Global Chinese Press).

A few days before National Day, Lai Changxing joined our fourth-year Chinese history class at Simon Fraser University. For almost three hours China’s most …

Chinese History Readings

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

A hodgepodge of historically or (historian-) relevant readings from the last few weeks…

1. Of greatest interest to the historians around here (particularly those of us who don’t make it to Cambridge regularly), Harvard and the National Library of China have signed a deal to digitize Harvard’s collection of 51,000 rare Chinese books:

Once completed, these images dating as far back as the Song ynasty in 960 AD, will be publicly available for free on the Web to scholars in China and elsewhere.

“We need to change the mindset that rare materials must be kept behind closed doors,’’ said James …

The Great Wall Parade, Alex Pasternack

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

My second day back in Beijing, and I was already under house arrest.

It was a sensitive time — the day before China’s 60th birthday — and I found myself stuck inside the gates of the city’s oldest diplomatic compound, where many foreign newspapers and television stations now have their offices.

Granted, this was partially of my own accord. The compound sits near the eastern end of the parade route, on the city’s legendary Chang’an Jie (Avenue of Eternal Peace), and a friend’s balcony offered a good vantage point. But because of high security, I had been told that if …

Patriotism

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

Peking University students queue to see the jingoistic new film ‘The Founding of a Republic’. In the screening, the young audience seemed more interested in the Chinese movie stars who appear in the film than they were in the historical content itself. Real footage of Chairman Mao in 1949, however, drew enthusiastic applause. Peking University students queue to see the jingoistic new film ‘The Founding of a Republic’. In the screening, the young audience seemed more interested in the Chinese movie stars who appear in the film than they were in the historical content itself. Real footage of Chairman Mao …

Around The Web: China’S National Day Celebration

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

Now that the celebration is over and China has celebrated its 60th anniversary, we thought we would point out some of the National Day media coverage that caught our eye:

1. China Digital Times directed us to The Guardian, which posted this wonderful time-lapse video of the parade in Beijing; watch the day’s highlights in under four minutes!

2. Yale University’s Kang Zhengguo wrote this piece for the New York Times op-ed page, in which he reflects on his own National Day experiences over the span of five decades. While Kang marched as a Young Pioneer in the 1959 National …

Islamic Fundamentalism: An Ignored Specter In The Xinjiang Riot, Liang Zheng

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

It’s been three months since the city of Urumqi was plunged into chaos and terror by the deadliest ethnic bloodletting in the history of the People’s Republic. The riot on July 5th this summer erupted right after a mostly peaceful demonstration organized by Uyghur youths in Urumqi called to demand the government thoroughly investigate a brawl in southern China, which had left two Uyghur workers dead and dozens more injured. At that point, no one anticipated the demonstration would be followed by a horrible massacre in Urumqi that took at least 197 innocent lives, most of them members of the …

The Future Of Japanese-Chinese Relations Under Japan’S New Government: An Expert Weighs In, Elizabeth M. Lynch

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

The United States was not the only country that voted for change this past year. On August 30, 2009, after fifty-four years of essentially one-party rule, the Japanese people voted overwhelmingly to usher in a completely new government and a new way of thinking. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which ruled Japan since 1955, was completely rejected. Obtaining only 119 out of 480 seats of the House of Representatives (the lower Diet), the LDP took a second seat to the younger and fresher Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). The DPJ won 308 seats in the House, ensuring that their leader, …

A Human Rights-Oriented Approach To Military Operations, Federico Sperotto

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Counterinsurgency is the dominant aspect of US operations in Afghanistan, and since ISAF—the NATO-led security and assistance force—has assumed growing security responsibility throughout the country, it is also a mission for the Europeans.1 The frame in which military operations are conducted is irregular warfare, a form of conflict which differs from conventional operations in two main aspects. First, it is warfare among and within the people. Second, it is warfare in which insurgents avoid a direct military confrontation, using instead unconventional methods and terrorist tactics.

© Federico Sperotto. All rights reserved.

This paper may be freely circulated in electronic or …

Repression And Punishment In North Korea: Survey Evidence Of Prison Camp Experiences, Stephan Haggard, Marcus Noland

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The penal system has played a central role in the North Korean government’s response to the country’s profound economic and social changes. Two refugee surveys—one conducted in China, one in South Korea—document its changing role. The regime disproportionately targets politically suspect groups, particularly those involved in market-oriented economic activities. Levels of violence and deprivation do not appear to differ substantially between the infamous political prison camps, penitentiaries for felons, and labor camps used to incarcerate individuals for misdemeanors, including economic crimes. Substantial numbers of those incarcerated report experiencing deprivation with respect to food as well as public executions and other …

The Ethnicization Of Discontent In Xinjiang, Rian Thum

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

One of many disturbing long-term effects of the recent violence in Urumqi is an increased ethnicization of anger on all sides. Ethnic tensions are of course nothing new in Xinjiang, and ethnically targeted state policies have long made it difficult to distinguish between anti-government and ethnic discontent, but until now Uyghur resistance has been aimed at the state. The recent Urumqi uprisings represent a significant redirection of anger along more clearly ethnic lines.

The interactions between Uyghur and Han citizens vary with the uneven demography of Xinjiang. In the provincial capital, Urumqi, Uyghurs are a minority. This means that Urumqi …

The Nebraska State Constitution: A Reference Guide (2d Ed. 2009): Table Of Cases, Anthony B. Schutz

Nebraska State Constitution

No abstract provided.

(Review) Political Women And American Democracy, Maryanne Borrelli

Government and International Relations Faculty Publications

BOOK REVIEW:

Political Women and American Democracy. Edited by Christina Wolbrecht, Karen Beckwith, and Lisa Baldez. (Cambridge University Press, 2008.)

Advocate, October 2009, Vol. [21], No. [2], Gc Advocate

The Advocate

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

From the Editor’s Desk: Back to Basics (p. 2)

Correction (p. 3)

Political Analysis: Defending the United Nations. Andrew Bast (p. 4)

Health Issues: Young but Not Invincible. Kimberly Libman (p. 5)

How to Avoid the Flu this Season (p. 5)

GC Students Join Protest to End Afghan War (p. 6)

Adjuncting: Where’s the Anger? Renée McGarry (p. 8)

Intellectual Leadership: Plato’s Dream, Popper’s Nightmare. C.A. Pasternak (p. 9)

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: The GC Advocate Guide to the 2009 NYC Mayoral Elections (p. 11)

Masthead (p. 2)

CUNY News in Brief: Bed Bugs …

Tradition In Transition: Tharu Traditional Governing System In Post-Conflict Nepal, Briana Bellamy

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Over the last 20 years, Nepal has faced a series of political challenges that have impacted communities across the nation. From the restoration of democracy in 1990, to the instigation of the Maoist’s People’s War in 1996, finally leading to the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) in 2006 - the Nepali government continues to negotiate the future of Nepal’s political landscape. The process has been long and tumultuous; with a history of violence and instability, every corner of Nepali society has invested interests in the success of the peace process and the building of a new constitution. While …

Democracy And The Tribal System In Jordan: Tribalism As A Vehicle For Social Change, Jennifer Rowland

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper discusses the current state of the electoral system in Jordan, its relation to and impact on the tribal aspect of society, and vice-versa. The prominence of tribalism in the electoral process has brought tribalism to the forefront of discussions on both the political system and social development in Jordan. There have been many accusations from intellectuals of a “return to tribalism” in the past couple of decades as politics in Jordan have become increasingly “tribalized.” Through a discussion of the different political and social mechanisms in Jordan, I conclude that the tribal sentiment in Jordan is not to …

India’S Role In Mongolia’S Third Neighbor Policy, Brandon Joseph Miliate

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Mongolia’s Third Neighbor policy is receiving much attention from international scholars. This dynamic policy is an effort on the part of the Mongolian nation to balance the influence from its two huge neighbors, the Peoples’ Republic of China and the Russian Federation. While this policy was formulated in the early years of Mongolia’s transition to a market economy and democracy, the whole concept of additional neighbors beyond the physically geographical sense has something of a long history, especially in respects to one nation in particular- India- the countries spiritual neighbor. The ties between the two countries are as dynamic as …

Interview With Willie Williamson, Lisa Duke

Chicago Anti-Apartheid Movement

Length: 79 minutes

Oral history interview of Willie Williamson by Lisa Duke

Mr. Williamson begins by describing his childhood in Grenada, Mississippi, one of nine children, playing baseball and attending Sunday school, and growing up in the Jim Crow South. He recalls how he first learned of Apartheid through a food drive for South African refugees where they learned of the efforts to expel South Africa from the United Nations, which persuaded him and his wife to become involved. He explains how this led him and others to establish the National Anti-Imperialist Movement for Southern Africa Liberation (NAIMSAL). He describes …

Interview With Rosetta Daylie, Sarah Bonkowski

Chicago Anti-Apartheid Movement

Length: 71 minutes

Oral history interview of Rosetta Daylie by Sarah Bonkowski

Rosetta Daylie begins by recounting her childhood on the South Side of Chicago, raised by a politically active family. She recalls her initial work in food service at the Illinois Visually Handicapped Institution. She explains how she was working for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), a trade union of public employees, when she learned about the anti-Apartheid movement and the Illinois Labor Network Against Apartheid (ILLNAA. She describes her work with ILLNAA and the Coalition of Black Trade Labor Unionists, the Shell boycott …

Islamic-Catholic Relations: A Local And Global Comparison, Matthew Hoppler, Jennifer Bell, Ruth Donaghey

Global Studies Student Scholarship

In our modern world, religion remains one of the most important aspects of an individual’s life, no matter what faith they choose to celebrate. Given the world’s increasing interconnectedness and continuing globalization, members of different faiths are becoming more exposed to communities of one another. In modern times, the disagreements between faiths continue just as they have in the past; however there are more efforts on each side to overcome differences and establish a peaceful coexistence and mutual understanding. Two of the most prominent faiths in today’s world are Catholicism and Islam, which have many differences between them. As Americans, …

Adding Race And Ethnicity: Electoral Data Collection Practice And Prospects For New York State, José Cruz, Jacqueline Hayes

Policy Documents

This report provides a comparative analysis of electoral data collection practices with the purpose of making recommendations that will improve electoral data collection in New York. This report answers the following questions: Why does New York State not collect electoral data by race and ethnicity? What explains electoral data collection by race in Alabama, California, Florida, and Pennsylvania? Are there any adverse impacts associated with this practice in these states?

Developing Latent Prints By Super Glue Fuming The Kenyan Way, Jonathan Pelletier

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Institutional Design And Governance In Microbial Research Commons, Charlotte Hess

Librarian Publications

Presentation slides on institutional design and governance to facilitate a global research commons for microbiology delivered at the International Symposium on Designing the Microbial Research Commons, sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC, 8-9 October 2009.

Violence In The House, Katherine Hite

Human Rights & Human Welfare

There was something particularly haunting in reading this Kristof and WuDunn piece during the week’s major US headlines: a girl in California had been imprisoned for eighteen years in the home of a man who kidnapped and raped her, fathered her children, and employed her in his small enterprise—a business card design and printing agency. Business clients interviewed for the story appeared completely taken aback. Clients had always found the now twenty-nine-year-old Jaycee Dugard “professional, polite, and responsive” as well as “creative and talented in her work.” Others expressed similar shock, recounting that Ms. Dugard “was always smiling.” Ms. Dugard’s …

"The Female Entrepreneur"?, Cath Collins

Human Rights & Human Welfare

I read the “Women’s Crusade” article that forms the centrepiece of this month’s roundtable with initial interest, gradually turning to a vague sense of disquiet spiced with occasional disbelief. After a few more readings, I tried highlighting the passages that bothered me and stringing them together. Countries “riven by fundamentalism”— that’s presumably the Islamic variety, rather than the Christian variant which holds such sway in the US. The suggestion that “everyone from the World Bank to the US [...] Chiefs of Staff to [...] CARE” now thinks that women are the answer to global extremism hides too many questionable assumptions …

Contributors Around The Web, Ii

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

1. Leslie T. Chang has been recognized by PEN with a 2009 Literary Award for research nonfiction for her book, Factory Girls.

2. Jeffrey Wasserstrom has a new piece at Foreign Policy, “The Autocrats’ Learning Curve“:

It’s impossible to pinpoint when, exactly, the CCP went from looking like it was on its last legs to looming as a global force majeure. But in fact, the mistaken predictions of my generation may have had much to do with it — and with events in Berlin as well.

I learned why a decade ago, at a Budapest conference devoted to revisiting the …

October Roundtable: Introduction

Human Rights & Human Welfare

An annotation of:

The Women's Crusade. By Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. The New York Review of Books. August 17, 2009.

Interview With Tim Wright, Jonathen Vogel

Chicago Anti-Apartheid Movement

Length: 69 minutes

Oral history interview of Tim Wright by Jonathen Vogel

Tim Wright was involved in activism and the Anti-apartheid movement since college. He tells of when, while attending UCLA, he was involved in the divestment movement to prevent universities from cooperating with the African regime. He describes his time working as a research assistant with Angela Davis and their time in Angola, South Africa to learn more about the conflict first-hand, where he met Prexy Nesbitt, who became a close colleague. Wright describes his time working with Harold Washington and his administration, taking part initially as a volunteer …

Interview With Mary Scott Boria, Pamela Birchard

Chicago Anti-Apartheid Movement

Length: 92 minutes

Oral history interview of Mary Schott Boria by Pamela Birchard

Mary Scott Boria begin by detailing her childhood as the daughter of a divorced, interracial couple in the 1950s. She explains how at the age of 14, she packed a suitcase and joined her mother in Chicago where she participated in the Civil Rights Movement, joining the NAACP and, later, the Black Panther Party while in college. She recalls joining the Chicago Committee in Solidarity with Southern Africa (CCISSA) in the 1980s, working toward the divestment of the Apartheid government, participating in demonstrations, helping put together newsletters, …