The sociologist watching the China-watchers: A conversation with David McCourt Sinica Podcast

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




See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.