Xiaofei Gao, Assistant Professor of History, has been awarded a 2023 Luce/ACLS Early Career Fellowship in China Studies. This program is made possible by a major grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, and is administered by the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), the leading representative of American scholarship in the humanities and interpretive social sciences. Gao has been recognized as one of 15 exceptional emerging scholars at institutions in the US, Canada, and Europe, whose research centers on China’s societies, histories, cultures, environment, art, and global impact. Titled “The Blue Revolution: Maritime Connections and Coastal Communities in Modern China, 1910-2010,” Gao’s project examines the history of social and environmental transformations in the context of imperialism, revolution, and globalization.

“The Luce/ACLS Early Career Fellowships in China Studies provide critical support for the next generation of scholars who are deepening our understanding of China’s diverse cultural and political past and present,” said ACLS President Joy Connolly. “Through our fruitful partnership with the Luce Foundation, ACLS is proud to help foster a community of interdisciplinary scholars who are making vital contributions to China studies. The new fellows’ exciting research explores topics such as the environmental history of modern China from the perspective of coastal communities, the relationship between artistic eccentricity and disability art in eighteenth century Yangzhou, and the impact of China's long-standing medical programs in South Sudan. At a time when tense relations between China and the United States dominate the headlines, we believe that scholarship, which helps bring people together by freely sharing knowledge, is more important than ever.”