Florian Schneider

Florian Schneider is Professor of Modern China at Leiden University, academic director of the Leiden Asia Centre, and editor of the academic journal Asiascape: Digital Asia. His research focuses on governance and public administration in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, political communication strategies in Chinese entertainment, economic developments, and foreign policy.

He specializes in political communication in East Asia, particularly how states use discourse and media to construct legitimacy. His work on digital activism explores the role of social media and online communities in political engagement across Asia.

Key research areas include:

• Digital nationalism and Sino-Japanese history in online networks
• Critical discourse analysis of multicultural contexts
• Mediatization of politics and civil society
• Legitimization of governance through disaster narratives (e.g., 2008 Sichuan earthquake)

He has supervised multiple PhD candidates and contributed to debates on China's strategic military and economic policies, as well as the global implications of rising East Asian nationalism.