Asia historian, Randolph College. Author of Chinese Workers of the World. https://xitter.cf/t.co/O5d1iKfvOf
Lynchburg, Virginia
Joined November 2012
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Official publication day! 20% discount with the code: ALTAN20.
While most investigations of Chinese workers focus on migrant labor, Chinese Workers of the World by @SeldaAltan2 explores Chinese labor under colonial regimes within China through an examination of the Yunnan-Indochina Railway, constructed 1898–1910
sup.org/books/title/?id=3576…
ALT Beige square featuring the book cover for Chinese Workers of the World: Colonialism, Chinese Labor, and the Yunnan–Indochina Railway by SELDA ALTAN
I was surprised to learn about the Uyghur involvement in the Syrian war. It will be interesting to read their own accounts on why they joined and what they expect from staying in a country of uncertainties. lithub.com/on-writing-about-…
This is Yaşar Ören, the son of miner Kerim Ören who lost his life in a mine collapse in western Turkey. Don’t forget these eyes, this look, and tears. If we forget, no chance we’ll have a better world.
It’s not easy to find a critical piece on contemporary Mongolian politics and intellectual debates. I am glad C. Sorace has a book coming out soon. This is a nice teaser.
positionspolitics.org/christ…
Student/work visa regulations have a meaning beyond concerns about the loss of skill or revenue for American universities. “Foreign student” is real and human. positionspolitics.org/susan-…
What a special feeling to have your work read carefully and placed in comparative perspective with other books on the topic by such an erudite scholar. A World after Abolition: Chinese Labor and the Persistence of Coercion cup.org/4xhw59E
We are watching the end of Turkey’s democracy live. The main opposition party is occupied by the gov’t.
Another sad moment, should make us question over and over again the scale of global overproduction and overconsumption. Why can’t we value life over everything else?
At least 90 people were killed in a gas explosion at a coal mine in China's northern province of Shanxi, in the country's deadliest mining accident since at least 2009 reut.rs/4tNDqeP
Yesterday, I participated in a special event at PaperMoon, a tiny bookstore on Tianping Rd, owned and run entirely by women & devoted to books written by and about women. They regularly host reading groups, and unfortunately, I missed an earlier one on Eileen Chang. This time +
expectations with the search for an independent identity? I left having learned so much from their reflections on social change. As a historian, I also rediscovered the power of literature to open people's hearts. +
If you find yourself in Shanghai, do stop by PaperMoon, at least to get a good cup of coffee. #PaperMoon #Bookstore #Shanghai
Selda Altan retweeted
📢 Otoriter rejimler ve emperyalizm kıskacında feminist stratejiler başlıklı bir röportaj serisine başladım.
İlk röportaj yaşayan en büyük feminist kuramcılardan olan, militarizm, savaş ve toplumsal cinsiyet ilişkisi üzerine çalışmalarıyla tanınan siyaset bilimci Cynthia Enloe ile.
Enloe ile otoriterlik, militarizm ve anti-gender ideolojinin birbirini besleyen ilişkisini, kadınları kurtarma söyleminin emperyal müdahaleleri meşrulaştırmak nasıl kullanıldığını ve daha bir çok şeyi konuştuk👇🏻
birgun.net/haber/otoriter-re…
Yaşadığımız küresel ve ulusal krizlerin ortasında görünmüyor olabilir ama işçi direnişleri devam ediyor ve başarıyla sonuçlanıyor. Ben bağımsız sendika liderliğinin bu başarılarda çok önemli bir rol oynadığını gözlemliyorum. Polyak direnişi de bu zincirin son halkalarından.
My piece on a recent major labor dispute at a Chinese-invested coal mine in Turkey is out in praxis in positions politics. @peacc
positionspolitics.org/burak-…
Selda Altan retweeted
Many thanks to @SeldaAltan2 for this thoughtful book review of my book, with a very interesting discussion of "convergence theory."
dx.doi.org/10.1353/tcc.2026.…
If you wonder how Chinese people spend a sunny Sunday: Shanghai Museum is packed! Must be the heyday of Chinese archaeology.
According to Chinese news outlets, renowned historian Akira Iriye, former president of the American Historical Association, died on January 28, 2026. He produced influential scholarship on U.S.–China–Japan relations. His passing is a great loss to the field of East Asian studies.
Bugün Kuzey-Güney Kore sınırını ziyaret ettim. Anlatılardan çıkardığım Kuzey Kore’nin mahallenin haylaz çocuğu gibi davrandığı. Bir süre önce G. Kore ile en uzun bayrak direğini kim dikecek yarışına girmişler. 70’lerden beri keşfedilen tünelleri “biz yapmadık Güney haptı” diyorlarmış. Sınırdaki tepenin üstüne “Kuzey Kore’den iyisi yok” yazmışlar. Geçen sene de uçan balonlarla içinde dışkı da olan çöp torbalarını sınırdan aşağı yollamışlar. Bedelini bilmesem komik diyeceğim ama K. Kore-Çin sınırından insan kaçırma bir sektör olmuş burada.
