Felix Wemheuer

Dr. Felix Wemheuer is a Professor of Modern China Studies at the University of Cologne since April 2014, specializing in 20th-century Chinese social history and political transformations. He earned his Magister in East Asian Politics and Chinese from Ruhr University Bochum (2004), a PhD from the University of Vienna (2006), and completed his habilitation there in 2013. Previously, he was a visiting scholar at Harvard University's Fairbank Center (2008–2010) and studied at Renmin University in Beijing (2000–2002).

His research examines rural China, class/gender dynamics, ethnic minorities, and legacies of the Mao era. Current projects include rebel groups in Shandong's Cultural Revolution and a global history of China's 1978 Reform and Opening. His work intersects social history, political economy, and memory studies, with a focus on how Maoist policies continue to shape contemporary China.

Publications reveal sustained focus on famines, Cultural Revolution politics, and China's global rise. Recent works analyze peasant resistance, Sino-Soviet ideological conflicts, and economic reforms. Article keywords frequently include Maoist China, Labor History, and Socialist Transition, with subfields spanning peasant-state relations, global Marxism, and economic liberalization.

Engagements include a YouTube channel (Studying Maoist China) featuring interviews with scholars, media commentaries on China's pandemic response, and edited volumes like Die Zukunft mit China denken (2023). He teaches courses on modern China, global Maoism, and China's political economy.