Book Projects

Race in International Politics: China’s Rise and the Weaponization of Identity in the Asia-Pacific

How does race factor into the deepening U.S.-China great power rivalry? Do racial identity and prejudice shape the response of the United States and its Asian allies to China’s rise as a hegemonic challenger in the region? In this dissertation-based book project, I investigate the role race and racism play in facilitating the emergence of hawkish foreign policy discourses and preferences across the key regional actors: the U.S., China, South Korea, and Japan. From anti-Asian racism in American society and China’s historical racial resentment to surging anti-Chinese sentiment in Korea and Japan, I show that racialization — a form of dehumanization rooted in ethnocentrism — has come to define the psychological dynamics of conflicts and instability in Asia.

Reimagining One Korea: China’s Rise, U.S. Grand Strategy, and a New Regional Architecture in Asia

In this second book project, I plan to revisit the prospect of Korean unification in light of the rapidly shifting security environment in the Asia-Pacific. Despite decades of research on Korean unification, scholars have paid relatively scant attention to understanding inter-Korean relations within the broader context of (1) ongoing debates on U.S. grand strategy (e.g., between the “restraint” and “deep engagement” camps), (2) China’s growing efforts to integrate the region, and (3) the possibility of a new regional order emerging from the current U.S.-China rivalry. Addressing this gap, the book lays out an integrated framework for the study of Korean unification.

Peer-Reviewed Articles

“The Politicization of COVID-19 and Anti-Asian Racism in the United States: An Experimental Approach,” Journal of Experimental Political Science. Conditionally Accepted.

“Race in International Relations: Beyond the ‘Norm Against Noticing‘,” Annual Review of Political Science 25: 175-96. 2022. (with Bianca Freeman and David A. Lake)

“The Geopolitical Consequences of COVID-19: Assessing Hawkish Mass Opinion in China,” Political Science Quarterly 136 (4): 641-65. 2021. (with Joshua Byun and Sichen Li)

“Anti-Asian Racism and the Rise of Hawkish Mass Opinion in China.” Revise & Resubmit, Political Science Quarterly

Working Papers

“Anti-Asian Racial Resentment and American Opinion on China.” Under review.

“Yellow Peril or Model Minority? Measuring Janus-Faced Anti-Asian Racism in the United States.” (with Enze Han) Under review.

“Race and the Microfoundation of Security Dilemmas.” (with Alastair Iain Johnston)

“Perceived Discrimination, Anti-Chinese Sentiment, and Racial Identity among Asian Americans .” (with Jae Yeon Kim, Joan Cho, and Taeku Lee)

“Reputation, Strategic Contexts, and American Credibility after the Afghanistan Withdrawal: Evidence from China and South Korea.” (with Joshua Byun and Jiyoung Ko) Under review.

“The Chinese Exclusion Act: Implications for East Asian International Relations.” (with Enze Han)