Read on Twitter
This piece by @Cooper_Esquire deserves *way* more attention and engagement on the twitter sphere and in academia. It makes a cogent case for why US law schools need to amplify and promote Black scholars in Chinese legal studies, but also make broader critiques: https://twitter.com/Cooper_Esquire/status/1333834101065920512
The piece starts out by setting out some premises that are largely unobjectionable:
- Political and economic developments (e.g. increase in anti-Black discrimination related in COVID in GZ, BRI engagement with African countries) have increased need for Sino-Black engagement
- Political and economic developments (e.g. increase in anti-Black discrimination related in COVID in GZ, BRI engagement with African countries) have increased need for Sino-Black engagement
- Yet the predominant voices that are centered in policy analysis and discussion largely leaves out or decenters Black scholarship, viewpoints, as it does not fit within a traditional model of either a Chinese national or a Western "China Expert" (a concept that is raced)
The piece goes into essentially reworking the importance of diversity and interdisciplinarity arguments to improve the quality of Chinese legal scholarship from reasoning of SCOTUS decisions (Sweatt to Brown); but that Chinese studies seems to be particularly resistant to this.
Author does a survey of 203 ABA law schools, only 18 host a permanent program, center, institution, or department focused on Chinese legal studies. Most of the programs do not display evidence of cultivating ongoing communications and relationships with Black students/scholars.
Cooper offers insight into the logics of how these exclusions work: "It appears that those who fit the traditional model of the Western China expert are privileged with opportunities to present themselves as experts, even when they lack qualifications...
while those that do not fit the model are at a disadvantage no matter what their qualifications are...[a] survey of work by Black practitioners and scholars demonstrates that there is a broad and diverse range of people who would be appropriately labeled as China experts...
if not for artificial and subjective barriers that result in untapped talent at U.S. law schools."
Cooper also offers examples of spaces and dialogues that ought to feature and consult with Black China studies experts:
"Events that facilitate such cross-sectional dialogues have begun occurring in recent months, as the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests have swept the globe...
"Events that facilitate such cross-sectional dialogues have begun occurring in recent months, as the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests have swept the globe...
drawing pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong and BLM activists together in solidarity. The protests also drew greater attention to targeted discriminatory acts against China’s ethnic minorities, such as the mass internment, cultural oppression, and exploitation of Uyghurs..."
Ultimately, as @Cooper_Esquire states:
"Black scholars and legal experts, however, remain without the opportunity to represent themselves in the Chinese legal studies programs at U.S. law schools."
This situation must be rectified broadly, and would be beneficial to all.
"Black scholars and legal experts, however, remain without the opportunity to represent themselves in the Chinese legal studies programs at U.S. law schools."
This situation must be rectified broadly, and would be beneficial to all.
The article is definitely a very pragmatic one that offers all sorts of good practical steps for law schools and other institutes to address this chronic exclusion.
Further, it also centres the need to completely interrogate the origin/logics of the "China Watchers" industry.
Further, it also centres the need to completely interrogate the origin/logics of the "China Watchers" industry.
This has not only broad and wide-reaching epistemological consequences, but in the context of growing tension and rivalry between the West and China, enormous political and policy consequences for millions of people *right now*.
