Stephen R Halsey

Stephen R Halsey is a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of Miami's College of Arts and Sciences. His work examines the intersection of state power, economic development, and environmental change in late imperial and modern China (1850–present). He teaches courses on Chinese history, East Asian history, environmental history, and comparative colonialism to diverse audiences including undergraduates, PhD students, business professionals, and adult learners.

Halsey completed his doctoral work in history at the University of Chicago and studied foreign affairs at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Before joining the University of Miami, he held the Alice Kaplan Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Humanities at Northwestern University and participated in an interdisciplinary teaching program called 'The Great Society.'

Halsey's research fundamentally challenges conventional narratives of Chinese decline, arguing instead that China developed effective state structures between 1850-1949 that enabled its survival and eventual rise as a global power. His scholarship bridges historical analysis with contemporary policy concerns, particularly regarding fiscal crises, environmental challenges, and geopolitical strategy in East Asia. He has pioneered approaches to Chinese environmental history that examine how non-human actors like rivers, microbes, and minerals have actively shaped Chinese development trajectories.

Halsey's publications reveal a consistent focus on how China navigated imperialism, state-building, and environmental constraints. His work moves beyond traditional diplomatic history to incorporate environmental factors, economic structures, and transnational perspectives. A recurring theme is the 'military-fiscal state' concept, which explains how China developed state capacity through military and fiscal reforms despite external pressures. His more recent work emphasizes environmental history approaches, examining how human interactions with nature shaped Chinese development across the twentieth century.

Halsey has received numerous prestigious fellowships for his research:

• Rachel Carson Center Fellowship
• Taiwan Fellowship
• Fulbright Senior Scholar Grant (China)
• Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowship
• Blakemore Foundation Language Grant
• Blakemore Foundation Language Refresher Grant
• Foreign Language and Area Studies Grant
• Earhart Foundation Fellowship

Beyond academia, Halsey maintains an active consulting practice with government agencies, businesses, and NGOs on East Asian affairs. His commissioned studies have examined fiscal crises in China, supply chain security, energy security in the Middle East and Indian Ocean basin, and Chinese environmental policy. He also offers corporate training on business practices in China, Japan, and Korea, demonstrating the practical application of his historical expertise.