Dr. Joseph Esherick

Joseph W. Esherick holds the Hwei-chih and Julia Hsiu Chair in Chinese Studies at the University of California San Diego, and is also an emeritus professor of modern Chinese history at the institution.

He specializes in the intersection of social developments and political movements in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He graduated from Harvard in 1964, summa cum laude, and holds a Ph.D. from U.C., Berkeley (1971).

Joseph Esherick previously taught at the University of Oregon before coming to UCSD in 1990 where he chaired the program in Chinese Studies, served as chair of the Advisory Committee of the Institute for International, Comparative and Area Studies (IICAS) and received the 2003 Chancellor’s Associates Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching.

Beyond UCSD, he serves on the editorial boards of the China Quarterly, Modern China, Asia Major, and China Review International. He has also authored several books, including Autumn Leaves: A Family Journey Through Chinese History.

• The China Travel Podcast Episode 20, Education Systems: China and America