In 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Yuhua Wang, Professor of Government at Harvard University, and a group of other leading scholars of Chinese politics saw a pressing need: traditional opportunities to attend conferences and receive feedback had been disrupted, and many young China scholars felt adrift.
And so Professor Wang and other experts decided to create a platform to support young scholars. Alongside professors at MIT, Duke, Yale, and a number of other distinguished universities, Professor Wang launched the New Faces initiative, aiming to help early-career academics gain critical feedback, professional development, and support during a period when traditional academic opportunities were disrupted.
With a focus on building a collaborative community for young scholars, Wang has guided the initiative, which turned into an annual conference, to help new voices in China Studies not only refine their research but also form lasting, supportive relationships. The 2024 conference, hosted on September 27th and 28th under Professor Wang’s leadership, and supported by the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies and the Government Department, will continue to expand this network, supporting the next generation of scholars navigating a highly competitive field.
Beyond his work with the conference, Yuhua Wang is involved in cutting-edge research that explores both historical and contemporary political dynamics in China. His current projects include a book co-authored with Gary Cox, William Bennett Munro Professor of Political Science at Stanford University, and Mark Dincecco, Professor of Political Science at University of Michigan, on the historical political divergence between Europe and China, and ongoing research with his graduate students on topics like Xi Jinping’s influence on academic careers in China and political power dynamics within the Chinese Communist Party.
Wang’s leadership in the New Faces conference is helping to shape the future of Chinese political studies. In this Q+A, Wang shared the motivations behind the New Faces conference, the specific challenges young scholars face today, and how his own research continues to inform his broader efforts to support the next generation of China scholars.
Tell us about the New Faces conference you are organizing and why you thought it is important to bring these young scholars together. What do you hope to achieve through this conference?
The New Faces in Chinese Politics conference was launched in 2020 by a group of scholars, including myself; Fiona Cunningham, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania; M. Taylor Fravel, Arthur and Ruth Sloan Professor of Political Science and Director of the MIT Security Studies Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Yue Hou, Associate Professor in the Division of Social Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Zhenhuan Lei, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Melanie Manion, Vor Broker Family Professor of Political Science, Duke University; and Dan Mattingly, Associate Professor of Political Science, Yale University. The pandemic presented significant challenges for young scholars, particularly those studying China, as traditional opportunities to attend conferences and receive feedback were disrupted. Our goal was to create a platform that could support these scholars in navigating field research challenges and the job market, especially during such a difficult period.
We organized a series of events designed to offer both practical advice and professional development. One notable example was the October 2020 Zoom webinar, The Job Market for Ph.D. Students in Chinese Politics: 2020 and After, where we invited 12 scholars and practitioners to discuss career paths in academia, think tanks, government, and the private sector. In March 2021, we followed up with another webinar on Doing Fieldwork in China: Conversations with Practitioners, featuring 12 experts who shared insights on the importance of, and strategies for, conducting fieldwork in China.
The first New Faces in Chinese Politics Conference was hosted at Duke University in August 2021, followed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2022, and the University of Pennsylvania in 2023. In 2024, I will be hosting the conference at Harvard University, with support from the Fairbank Center and the Government Department. The rotating nature of the conference helps maintain its broad network across top institutions.
The conference has been instrumental in helping the next generation of China scholars refine their research and secure academic positions. Alumni from the conference include: Peng Peng, Assistant Professor, Washington University in St. Louis; Kevin Luo, Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota; Zeren Li, Assistant Professor, National University of Singapore; John Minnich, Assistant Professor, London School of Economics; Shengqiao Lin, An Wang Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard, and many others.
One of the most important goals of the New Faces in Chinese Politics Conference is to help younger scholars build a strong, supportive community of their own. Over the years, we’ve observed that the participants in each cohort often form close bonds, turning what could be a highly competitive environment into one of collaboration and mutual support. Instead of competing for scarce resources or opportunities, these young scholars have helped each other by sharing information, offering feedback, and celebrating each other’s successes. This community-building aspect is invaluable, as it not only enhances the quality of their research but also fosters a healthier, more inclusive academic environment where collaboration thrives over competition.
Do rising scholars of politics and government in contemporary China face particular challenges in pursuing their research these days? Are there ways to overcome the challenges?
Rising scholars of politics and government in contemporary China face significant challenges, particularly since the downturn in U.S.-China relations around 2018, which has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. These challenges are multifaceted. First, the Chinese government has greatly restricted access for foreign scholars to the country, limiting entry to archives, research institutions, and survey companies. Even when scholars manage to visit, many have been subjected to surveillance by public security authorities, which creates an atmosphere of uncertainty and fear. Second, due to the tense U.S.-China relations, scholars of Chinese politics are increasingly scrutinized by the U.S. government, with many researchers of Chinese descent facing suspicions of being agents of the Chinese government. This environment has led to a reluctance among scholars to voice anything that could be perceived as pro-China, for fear of being mischaracterized as promoting Chinese influence.
To overcome these challenges, fostering communication and collaboration with colleagues in China remains vital, although this comes with the need for caution in selecting research topics. It is essential to avoid subjects that could endanger Chinese colleagues or result in retaliation from authorities. Scholars are finding creative ways to collaborate across borders, leveraging digital archives and datasets, and relying on established networks of trust with local collaborators. While these workarounds do not fully replace fieldwork or direct access to archives, they allow scholars to continue contributing to the field while navigating an increasingly difficult research environment.
What are you working on now in terms of your own research?
Currently, I am working on a book with Gary Cox, William Bennett Munro Professor of Political Science at Stanford University, and Mark Dincecco, Professor of Political Science at University of Michigan, that explores the historical roots of political divergence between Europe and China. We are developing a new framework to analyze how rulers were constrained differently in these two regions, which helps explain key outcomes such as why Europe remained fragmented while China achieved unification, and why Europe experienced higher levels of taxation compared to China. In addition to this, I am collaborating with my graduate students on several papers related to contemporary China. One of these papers investigates how Xi Jinping’s emphasis on independent knowledge systems (自主知识体系) has influenced the career paths and behaviors of Chinese academics, while another examines whether political power impacts the lifespan of Chinese Communist Party elites.