Borders of knowledge politics

Co-ordinator: Prof. William A. Callahan, University of Manchester; Partners: Tsinghua University and O.P. Jindal Global University (New Delhi)

When Deng Xiaoping started China’s reform and opening policy in 1978, his goal was to promote economic growth. Thirty years later, the ‘opening policy’ has gone far beyond liberalizing economic markets to create space for discussion in China. This network will explore the activities of public intellectuals who negotiate the PRC’s border of the ‘allowable’. The network will employ an intellectual history approach since current debates closely resemble those from the early 20^th century. It will support research exchanges by researchers and PhD students and a workshop that will produce an edited volume. User-groups include British and Chinese academics, think tanks and NGOs. The network includes researchers and PhD students from Oxford and Bristol Universities: Robert Bickers, KArl Gerth, Rana Mitter. It includes an Indian partner, Jindal Global University, to explore the role of public intellectuals in another strategic region, and to explore the possibilities for future development of China-India studies.