Date of Award

2025

Degree Type

Open Access Master's Thesis

Degree Name

History, MA

Program

School of Arts and Humanities

Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair

JoAnna Poblete

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

Matthew Bowman

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2025 Zhen Zhou

Keywords

American higher education, Asian studies, Oral history, Ch’en, Shou-yi, Zhang, Yanshuo

Abstract

This thesis examines the lives and academic legacies of Dr. Shou-yi Ch’en (1899–1987) and Dr. Yanshuo Zhang (b. 1988), two Chinese scholars whose contributions have shaped Asian Studies in American higher education across nearly a century. Dr. Ch’en, educated in both China and the United States, played a foundational role in establishing Pomona College’s early Asian Studies program, fostering East–West intellectual exchange through extensive correspondence, and mentoring a generation of scholars. Dr. Zhang, also educated in China and the U.S., represents a new generation of interdisciplinary scholarship, focusing on China’s Qiang ethnic minority through oral history and a multicultural lens. The stories of Dr. Ch’en and Dr. Zhang reveal how Asian Studies has transformed from a text-centered discipline to a more interdisciplinary and community-engaged field. Despite differences in methodology and focus, both scholars underscore the enduring importance of transnational education, multicultural experiences, institutional networks, and academic mentorship. By building bridges between East and West and between scholars and future generations, their work has played a pivotal role in shaping the evolution of Asian Studies in American higher education.

ISBN

9798293802470

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