Light Center first research grant awarded
to sociology professor

Dr. Yuan-Kang Wang, an associate professor in WMU’s Department of Sociology, was recently awarded the first Timothy Light Center of Chinese Studies Research Grant for his project, “The Art of Domination: Managing Regional Hegemony in Qing China and the United States.”

Wang will receive $3,000 for his project, in which he plans to compare and contrast the regional hegemonies of Qing China and the United States.  The project will examine three periods in Qing history: ascent, hegemony, and decline, and contrast them with the United States. 

His research will fill an important gap in international relations literature by providing a comparative, historical perspective on the rise of China and its dominance in the international system. The central question Wang seeks to answer is two-fold:  How does a state become a hegemon in its region of the world?;  and, Once a state becomes dominant, how does the hegemon maintain its supremacy in the international system and minimize resistance by lesser states?  The final product will be a book published by a university press.

Timothy Light Center for Chinese Studies Research Grants are awarded annually and provide support to Western Michigan University faculty for research and creative activities that support the study of Greater China.  For more information, visit the Light Center online at:  www.wmich.edu/chinesestudiescenter