Waley-Cohen, Joanna

PERSONAL: Female. Education: Cambridge University, B.A., 1974; Yale University, M.A., 1977, M.Phil, 1984, Ph.D., 1987.

ADDRESSES: Office—Department of History, New York University, King Juan Carlos I of Spain Building, 53 Washington Square South, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10012. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: New York University, New York, NY, professor of history.

MEMBER: American Historical Association, Association for Asian Studies, Royal Asiatic Society, American Association of University Women.

AWARDS, HONORS: Fellowships from American Council of Learned Societies, 1985-86, 1990-91, Columbia Society of Fellows in the Humanities, 1988-90, and Yale International Securities Program, 1991-92; New York University presidential fellowship, 1993; stipend from National Endowment for the Humanities, 1994.

WRITINGS:

Exile in Mid-Quing China: Banishment to Xinjiang, 1758-1820, Yale University Press (New Haven, CT), 1991.

The Sextants of Beijing: Global Currents in Chinese History, Norton (New York, NY), 1999.

Contributor to Picturing Hong Kong: Photography, 1855-1910, Braziller, 1997.

SIDELIGHTS: Joanna Waley-Cohen describes one of the most severe punishments meted out in all of Chinese history in her book Exile in Mid-Qing China: Banishment to Xinjiang, 1758-1820. Being sent to Xinjiang was considered second only to being put to death. Xinjiang was so far from the center of Chinese culture that it was much like being sent to another country entirely, and being stripped of one's cultural identity was seen as a particular horror to the Chinese of that era. Yet, according to Vivien W. Ng in the American Historical Review, "as Joanna Waley-Cohen shows in this fascinating and well-researched study, exile to Xinjiang was full of paradoxes," because as banished and disgraced officials came to play key roles in the colonization of the Central Asian frontier. As Ng concluded, "By weaving strands from legal documents and literary works, she has created a rich tapestry that enlivens our understanding of life in Xinjiang."

In The Sextants of Beijing: Global Currents in Chinese History Waley-Cohen examines the history of China's relations with other countries, mainly from the early Qin empire of 200 B.C. to the present day. Various influences are considered, from Catholic missionaries to the Communist Party. Ultimately, Waley-Cohen concludes that China has never been as isolationist as it is frequently portrayed. Serving as a hub of trade for centuries, the vast region could not be entirely sealed off, but guardians of Chinese culture have been ambivalent and cautious about letting outside influences permeate their society.

Reviewing The Sextants of Beijing for the New York Times Book Review, Nicholas D. Kristof stated that while he did not entirely agree with Waley-Cohen's thesis, "because of the boldness of the argument, it is stimulating and refreshing, and the history itself is sensibly organized and engagingly told." The book also met with approval from Dave Flynn, a contributor to China Review International, who stated: "In this well-researched monograph, Joanna Waley-Cohen provides a breadth of insight into China's sometimes passive, generally benevolent involvement with often imperialistic sovereign states. Also, she resolves some of the questions regarding some of the periods of complacency in Chinese commercial and technological history." Further praise came from David G. Atwill, who wrote in a Journal of World History review: "On the whole, Waley-Cohen offers a crucial new perspective on China's past, one that clearly reveals that China never truly turned inward. While scholars may argue over her concentration on China's contact with the West, the book provides general readers and undergraduates a new framework within which to begin to construct their own understanding of China's past."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Historical Review, December, 1992, Vivien W. Ng, review of Exile in Mid-Quing China: Banishment to Xinjiang, 1758-1820, pp. 1576-1577.

Booklist, March 15, 1999, Vanessa Bush, review of The Sextants of Beijing: Global Currents in Chinese History, p. 1287.

China Review International, spring, 2002, Dave Flynn, review of The Sextants of Beijing, p. 268.

Economist, October 2, 1999, review of The Sextants of Beijing, p. 91.

Historian, fall, 2000, R. Keith Schoppa, review of The Sextants of Beijing, p. 178.

Journal of World History, spring, 2002, David G. Atwill, review of The Sextants of Beijing, p. 203.

Library Journal, Feburary 15, 1999, Peggy Spitzer Christoff, review of The Sextants of Beijing, p. 169.

New York Times Book Review, August 29, 1999, Nicholas D. Kristof, review of The Sextants of Beijing, p. 26; Vivien W. Ng, review of Exile in Mid-Quing China, pp. 1576-1577.

Pacific Affairs, winter, 1992, review of Exile in Mid-Quing China, p. 558.

USA Today, August 28, 1997, Tish Wells, review of Picturing Hong Kong: Photography, 1855-1910, p. 8.