A weekly discussion of current affairs in China with journalists, writers, academics, policymakers, business people and anyone with something compelling to say about the country that's reshaping the world. Hosted by Kaiser Kuo.
https://art19.com/shows/sinica
The sociologist watching the China-watchers: A conversation with David McCourt
This week on Sinica, Kaiser chats with David McCourt, associate professor of sociology at the University of California, Davis. For the last several years, David — who is not himself a China specialist — has undertaken a sociological study of "China-watchers," and has presented his findings to date in a series of papers as he prepares to publish a book. Focusing on China-watchers as a community, he offers fascinating insights into how they interact to shape the major narratives of "engagement" and "strategic competition.
5:24 – Who counts as a “China-watcher”?
13:53 – A taxonomy of China-watchers
21:43 – Small e engagement and capital E Engagement
28:35 – The sociological sources of China policy
37:54 – What China policy positions tell us about America
45:14 – Habitus and China policy orientation
55:19 – The China-watching community and American presidential administrations, Obama to Biden
A transcript of this conversation is available at SupChina.com.
Recommendations:
David: Gregoire Chamayou, The Ungovernable Society: A Genealogy of Authoritarian Liberalism
Kaiser: The works of the great American political scientist Robert Jervis, who died on December 9, especially Perception and Misperception in International Politics and System Effects: Complexity in Political and Social Life
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