Arden Chao

Dr. Arden Chao is a Research Fellow at the MF School of Theology, Religion and Society, affiliated with the ERC-funded project 'Political Deification: Theorising from Asia (POLDEI)' led by Prof. Moumita Sen. His research focuses on early republican China's political and institutional history, particularly the interplay between parliamentary systems and warlord politics during the 1920s.

Education:

• PhD in History (Peking University): Thesis titled 'Chinese Parliament and its Co-competition with Warlords, 1922-1925'
• Master's degree (Peking University)
• Bachelor's degree (National Taiwan University)

Research Interests: Modern East Asian political and intellectual history, Chinese constitutionalism, transformation of political discourse in republican China, and the modernization of Chinese political institutions. His work bridges comparative politics with cultural studies, emphasizing institutional dynamics in early 20th-century East Asia.

Grants & Projects: Currently participates in the POLDEI project exploring political deification theories through an Asian lens. Prior research has examined warlord-parliamentary coexistence in 1920s China, highlighting institutional resilience under authoritarian pressures.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with the POLDEI research team at MF, contributing to interdisciplinary discussions on Asian political theology and institutional history.