History as Biography, Chen Hansheng (1897-2004) China’s Last Romantic Revolutionary

The Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy and Council on East Asian Studies present a conversation with historian Stephen Mackinnon. Mackinnon’s latest book, Chen Hansheng: China’s Last Romantic Revolutionary (Columbia University Press), offers a biographical study of the life and times of pioneer Chinese social scientist and international political activist Chen Hanseng (1897-2004). The book draws on unique interviews, beginning in 1979, with Chen, his family, and associates, along with an exhaustive examination of documents, writings, and archives.

Stephen R. MacKinnon is an emeritus professor of 20th century Chinese history, and former director of the Center for Asian Studies at Arizona State University. He used to live in China, which has been the focus of his work since the early 1960s. He has written dozens of articles and edited volumes, and is the author of five books on China, including Chen Hansheng: China’s Last Romantic Revolutionary (2023), Wuhan, 1938: War, Refugees, and the Making of Modern China (2008), and Agnes Smedley: The Life and Times of an American Radical (1987).

Co-sponsored by International Security Studies at the Jackson School of Global Affairs, and MacMillan Center Council on East Asian Studies.