Promoting U.S.-China Academic Exchange in the Early 1990s

Abstract

The growth of Chinese Historians in the United States (CHUS) members is arguably a symbolic reflection of the overall progress of overseas Chinese scholars in the United States during the past twenty years. Generally speaking, since the 1980s, there have been four major phases of development of CHUS members. The first one, lasting roughly from the early 1980s to the early 1990s, saw most of them devoting themselves to the rigorous post-graduate studies and successfully obtaining their doctoral degrees in history during the early years of the 1990s. The second period, from the early to the mid-1990s, was marked by job searches on the part of many CHUS members, who successfully competed for intensely coveted positions in American academia. The third stage, from the mid to the end of 1990s, was one of advancement during which a significant number of CHUS members became tenured professors and well established in the mainstream American academia and society. The fourth phase, beginning in the early 2000, has been one of quest for a breakthrough, as some tenured professors became pioneers in obtaining administrative positions at institutions of higher learning in the U.S. while others became administrators at Chinese universities, law firms, and other corporations.