Jennifer Liu

Jennifer Liu is a Professor specializing in twentieth-century Chinese political and social history with expertise in education systems, youth culture, and ethnic identity. She is affiliated with the Department of History, World Languages & Cultures.

Her academic credentials include:

• B.A. in History from UCLA (2002)
• M.A. in East Asian History from University of California, Irvine (2007)
• Ph.D. in History from University of California, Irvine (2010)

Professor Liu's research examines Nationalist China's educational policies through three critical periods: wartime relocation (1937-1945), civil war (1945-1949), and Taiwan's post-1949 reconstruction. Her methodology uniquely combines archival research with oral histories from 1949 refugees, revealing how secondary education served as a tool for political indoctrination. Current work focuses on Taiwan's women's magazines as cultural barometers from 1945 to present.

Her scholarly recognition includes:

• Fulbright Senior Scholar Award for Taiwan research

Professor Liu's Fulbright-supported research in Taiwan provides critical access to archives essential for her women's magazine project. Her 2024 monograph 'Indoctrinating the Youth' establishes her as a leading scholar on education's role in Nationalist state-building across the 1949 divide, with ongoing work expanding this framework to gender studies through periodical analysis.