Dr. Joshua Hill
Dr. Joshua Hill, Assistant Professor of History, recently published Voting as a Rite: A History of Elections in Modern China with Harvard University Press.
The book offers an in-depth study of the intellectual and cultural history of elections in modern China. Hill covers the period from the Opium War to the present (1840–2018). He shifts the focus of inquiry away from the democratic efficacy of elections to the assumptions, expectations, and evaluations of those who participated in them.
The book thus reveals why Chinese elites originally became enamored of elections at the end of the 19th century, why critics complained about elections that featured real competition in the early 20th century, and why elections continued to be held after the mid-20th century even though outcomes were predetermined by the state. Instead of being peripheral to political and intellectual life, Hill shows how elections were in fact a vital component.
For more on Hill’s publication record, research interests, and teaching, visit his History Department profile.
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