Macabe Keliher

Macabe Keliher is an Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Southern Methodist University's Department of History. His work focuses on early modern and modern China, with an emphasis on symbolic power, state formation, and economic development in East Asia. He holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University (2015), an M.A. from George Washington University, and a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

His research explores the Qing Empire's institutional evolution, particularly through his award-winning book The Board of Rites and the Making of Qing China, which examines bureaucratic frameworks and ritual practices. Currently, he is investigating postwar economic strategies in Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan, challenging traditional narratives of economic growth through transnational lenses.

Key research themes include ritual's role in state-building, economic warfare's impact on industrialization, and the intersection of protest movements with political power structures in contemporary Hong Kong. His work has been supported by prestigious fellowships such as the Taiwan National Science and Technology Council (2024) and the Wilson Center China Fellowship (2021–2022).

Recent publications span topics from Qing administrative reforms to Taiwan's state enterprises, reflecting his interdisciplinary approach bridging history, political science, and cultural studies. His 2023 abridgment of Roberto Unger's The Religion of the Future further underscores his engagement with broader intellectual discourse.