Education
BA Furman University, 2015
M.A., Chinese History
Research Interests
Donald’s research interests revolve around propaganda, media systems, and newspaper culture in recent Chinese history. His dissertation engages with the Chinese-socialist media landscape through a variety of lenses, including consumption of material in public “newspaper reading groups,” the analysis of Chinese-socialist advertising culture in the People’s Daily newspaper, and the practice of amateur journalism and journalistic practices across local newspaper bureaus in Anhui province. His research leverages ‘sinological garbology’ to acquire difficult-to-locate historical documents in flea markets and rare book shops, challenging the narratives of media production posed by of traditional repositories of historical information, such as state-controlled archives. He is particularly interested in constructions of truth value across global newspaper cultures in the 20th century, and how these values have influenced the shape of contemporary Chinese media and propaganda.
Some Notable Publications
Recent Public Engagements
https://global.unc.edu/event/rumor-chinese-diets-and-covid-19-questions-and-answers-about-chinese-food-and-eating-habits/
Courses Offered
HIST 285: 20th Century Chinese History (Spring 2021)