Emily Matson
@emilymatson.bsky.social
Historian of 20th century China, 东北 (Manchuria), WWII. Georgetown University and GWU. Penn-US China fellow. CFR term member. Speaks/writes español, 中文, 少し日本語, немного по-русски.
Pinned
Emily Matson
@emilymatson.bsky.social
· Aug 21
China’s Date Debate
China’s Date Debate is an in-depth investigation of the Chinese Communist Party’s remapping of China’s World War II timeline from eight years (1937-–1945) to fourteen years (1931–1945). Instead of the...
press.umich.edu
I'm excited to share that my first monograph, "China's Date Debate: How Manchurian Scholars Rewrote World War II," is available for preorder through the University of Michigan Press, China Understandings Today series!
China’s Date Debate press.umich.edu/Books/C/Chin...
China’s Date Debate press.umich.edu/Books/C/Chin...
I had a great time late last night on Zoom chatting with Shuxian Luo's grad class at the University of Hawaii at Manoa about historical memory in Sino-Japanese relations (although I wish I could have been there in person!). Thank you for the invite, Shuxian!
January 29, 2026 at 11:33 PM
I had a great time late last night on Zoom chatting with Shuxian Luo's grad class at the University of Hawaii at Manoa about historical memory in Sino-Japanese relations (although I wish I could have been there in person!). Thank you for the invite, Shuxian!
It was a privilege to be part of Session 1 of the 18th American Studies Network Conference "World War II - 80 Years On: Remembrance and Reassessment in U.S.-China Relations." Looking forward to Session 2 on February 1st!
uscet.org/event-recap-...
uscet.org/event-recap-...
Event Recap: 18th American Studies Network Conference Session 1 – US-China Education Trust
uscet.org
January 17, 2026 at 9:46 PM
It was a privilege to be part of Session 1 of the 18th American Studies Network Conference "World War II - 80 Years On: Remembrance and Reassessment in U.S.-China Relations." Looking forward to Session 2 on February 1st!
uscet.org/event-recap-...
uscet.org/event-recap-...
Reposted by Emily Matson
Have you read our newest issue yet? 📚
We bring you research on topics such as 'America First', Latin American migration governance, Syria's future and lots more.
Read here 👉 academic.oup.com/ia/issue/102/1
We bring you research on topics such as 'America First', Latin American migration governance, Syria's future and lots more.
Read here 👉 academic.oup.com/ia/issue/102/1
January 13, 2026 at 4:18 PM
Have you read our newest issue yet? 📚
We bring you research on topics such as 'America First', Latin American migration governance, Syria's future and lots more.
Read here 👉 academic.oup.com/ia/issue/102/1
We bring you research on topics such as 'America First', Latin American migration governance, Syria's future and lots more.
Read here 👉 academic.oup.com/ia/issue/102/1
Our panel for AHA 2026 in Chicago on “The Long Second World War and Its Aftermath in China: Mobilization, Displacement, and Transnational Diaspora”. It was an honor to chair this panel and learn more about the work of these promising young scholars. @historians.org #AHA2026
January 13, 2026 at 8:13 PM
Our panel for AHA 2026 in Chicago on “The Long Second World War and Its Aftermath in China: Mobilization, Displacement, and Transnational Diaspora”. It was an honor to chair this panel and learn more about the work of these promising young scholars. @historians.org #AHA2026
Please consider attending our AHA panel on Sunday morning at 9 AM on “The Long Second World War and Its Aftermath in China: Mobilization, Displacement, and Transnational Diaspora”! @historians.org aha.confex.com/aha/2026/web...
139th Annual Meeting (January 8-11, 2026): The Long Second World War and Its Aftermath in China: Mobilization, Displacement, and Transnational Diaspora
aha.confex.com
January 8, 2026 at 10:19 PM
Please consider attending our AHA panel on Sunday morning at 9 AM on “The Long Second World War and Its Aftermath in China: Mobilization, Displacement, and Transnational Diaspora”! @historians.org aha.confex.com/aha/2026/web...
Delighted to be included in the first issue of International Affairs in 2026! I review Yongjin Zhang's "Reimagining the international: Chinese world ordering before the west." Read it here: academic.oup.com/ia/article/1...
@iajournal.bsky.social
@iajournal.bsky.social
Our first issue of the year is OUT NOW‼️
This issue features research articles on topics such as 'America First', Latin American migration governance, and Syria's future, policy papers on the UN's role in peace and conflict, and 25 book reviews.📚
👉 Read the issue: academic.oup.com/ia/issue/102/1
This issue features research articles on topics such as 'America First', Latin American migration governance, and Syria's future, policy papers on the UN's role in peace and conflict, and 25 book reviews.📚
👉 Read the issue: academic.oup.com/ia/issue/102/1
January 8, 2026 at 6:14 PM
Delighted to be included in the first issue of International Affairs in 2026! I review Yongjin Zhang's "Reimagining the international: Chinese world ordering before the west." Read it here: academic.oup.com/ia/article/1...
@iajournal.bsky.social
@iajournal.bsky.social
Save 50% now on preordering my book from the University of Michigan Press with promo code "HOLIDAY25"!
“Emily Matson’s highly original analysis gives granular detail about one of the key debates in China on this question...”
- Rana Mitter, Harvard University
press.umich.edu/Books/C/Chin...
“Emily Matson’s highly original analysis gives granular detail about one of the key debates in China on this question...”
- Rana Mitter, Harvard University
press.umich.edu/Books/C/Chin...
China’s Date Debate
China’s Date Debate is an in-depth investigation of the Chinese Communist Party’s remapping of China’s World War II timeline from eight years (1937-–1945) to fourteen years (1931–1945). Instead of the...
press.umich.edu
December 30, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Save 50% now on preordering my book from the University of Michigan Press with promo code "HOLIDAY25"!
“Emily Matson’s highly original analysis gives granular detail about one of the key debates in China on this question...”
- Rana Mitter, Harvard University
press.umich.edu/Books/C/Chin...
“Emily Matson’s highly original analysis gives granular detail about one of the key debates in China on this question...”
- Rana Mitter, Harvard University
press.umich.edu/Books/C/Chin...
Reposted by Emily Matson
Big thank you to @emilymatson.bsky.social for this very thoughtful review of "The Party's Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping" in Studies in Intelligence
www.cia.gov/resources/cs...
www.cia.gov/resources/cs...
www.cia.gov
December 30, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Big thank you to @emilymatson.bsky.social for this very thoughtful review of "The Party's Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping" in Studies in Intelligence
www.cia.gov/resources/cs...
www.cia.gov/resources/cs...
Just finished reading over Thanksgiving break - what an impressive and well-researched book! @josephtorigian.bsky.social www.sup.org/books/histor...
The Party's Interests Come First | Stanford University Press
Selected as a Best Book of 2025 by The Economist, BBC History Magazine, and Marginal Revolution"[A] masterly biography of Xi Zhongxun, the father of China's present-day president, Xi Jinping.... [A] s...
www.sup.org
November 30, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Just finished reading over Thanksgiving break - what an impressive and well-researched book! @josephtorigian.bsky.social www.sup.org/books/histor...
Excited to be a panelist for this! uscet.org/18th-asn-con...
18th ASN Conference – World War II 80 Years On: Remembrance and Reassessment in U.S.-China Relations – US-China Education Trust
uscet.org
November 21, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Excited to be a panelist for this! uscet.org/18th-asn-con...
During these uncertain times, something that has brought me a lot of joy has been practicing my Chinese, Japanese, and Russian language skills online. It has been quite fun, and I'm excited to see some progress. Here is a random excerpt from my Russian homework - still basic, but I can communicate!
November 19, 2025 at 7:25 PM
During these uncertain times, something that has brought me a lot of joy has been practicing my Chinese, Japanese, and Russian language skills online. It has been quite fun, and I'm excited to see some progress. Here is a random excerpt from my Russian homework - still basic, but I can communicate!
I thoroughly enjoyed attending the Thirtieth Term Member Conference at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City this week! I was having too much fun meeting new people and forgot to take many conference photos, but here are a few! @cfr.org
October 22, 2025 at 8:22 PM
I thoroughly enjoyed attending the Thirtieth Term Member Conference at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City this week! I was having too much fun meeting new people and forgot to take many conference photos, but here are a few! @cfr.org
Next Friday at the Elliott School of International Affairs! @gwu1821.bsky.social
October 18, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Next Friday at the Elliott School of International Affairs! @gwu1821.bsky.social
Thanks to the Sigur Center for Asian Studies for this animated shot of me discussing my research on World War II in China and Manchuria on Friday, September 26th! @gwu1821.bsky.social
October 6, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Thanks to the Sigur Center for Asian Studies for this animated shot of me discussing my research on World War II in China and Manchuria on Friday, September 26th! @gwu1821.bsky.social
Very happy to be this panel’s discussant and excited to see everyone in Vancouver in March! @asianstudies.org
September 30, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Very happy to be this panel’s discussant and excited to see everyone in Vancouver in March! @asianstudies.org
I had a great time giving a talk about World War II memory, Manchuria, and my new book at the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, Sigur Center for Asian Studies on Friday! Thanks to Daqing Yang and Mike Mochizuki for the invitation! @gwu1821.bsky.social
September 29, 2025 at 2:26 AM
I had a great time giving a talk about World War II memory, Manchuria, and my new book at the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, Sigur Center for Asian Studies on Friday! Thanks to Daqing Yang and Mike Mochizuki for the invitation! @gwu1821.bsky.social
Big congrats to my graduate student in Georgetown University's Department of History, Enrico Osvaldi, for passing his comprehensive exams yesterday! It was a privilege to participate as one of the examiners for his subfield on nationalism in China and Japan. @georgetownuni.bsky.social
September 25, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Big congrats to my graduate student in Georgetown University's Department of History, Enrico Osvaldi, for passing his comprehensive exams yesterday! It was a privilege to participate as one of the examiners for his subfield on nationalism in China and Japan. @georgetownuni.bsky.social
Reposted by Emily Matson
If you are in DC, this upcoming event on Friday reflecting on WWII in the Asia Pacific 80 years on should be special (no better keynote speaker imaginable for this than Carol Gluck) sigur.elliott.gwu.edu/2025/09/10/9...
[9/26/2025] World War II at 80: War Generations, Society, and Memory in the Asia Pacific
At the Elliott School of International Affairs
sigur.elliott.gwu.edu
September 23, 2025 at 11:42 PM
If you are in DC, this upcoming event on Friday reflecting on WWII in the Asia Pacific 80 years on should be special (no better keynote speaker imaginable for this than Carol Gluck) sigur.elliott.gwu.edu/2025/09/10/9...
Next Friday at the Sigur Center for Asian Studies! @gwu1821.bsky.social
September 19, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Next Friday at the Sigur Center for Asian Studies! @gwu1821.bsky.social
A new op-ed from me on China's WWII! @asianstudies.org www.asianstudies.org/why-does-chi...
Why Does China Care So Much about World War II? - Association for Asian Studies
By Emily Matson On September 3, 2025, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) pulled out all the stops in its military parade along Chang’an Avenue in Beijing to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the C...
www.asianstudies.org
September 18, 2025 at 8:59 PM
A new op-ed from me on China's WWII! @asianstudies.org www.asianstudies.org/why-does-chi...
Reposted by Emily Matson
Great audience (with outstanding questions!) for our third cohort fellows @kyleichan.bsky.social, Yingyi Ma, @carlminzner.bsky.social, & Elsa Kania tonight at JF Books
September 10, 2025 at 11:21 PM
Great audience (with outstanding questions!) for our third cohort fellows @kyleichan.bsky.social, Yingyi Ma, @carlminzner.bsky.social, & Elsa Kania tonight at JF Books
I was interviewed by Chinese media outlet Guancha about my research on China’s WWII and Unit 731. The article came out a few days ago: m.guancha.cn/EmilyMatson/...
m.guancha.cn
September 5, 2025 at 12:41 PM
I was interviewed by Chinese media outlet Guancha about my research on China’s WWII and Unit 731. The article came out a few days ago: m.guancha.cn/EmilyMatson/...
Looking forward to attending this next Wednesday as part of our Penn Project D.C. week agenda!
Many thanks to JF Books for hosting this event in Washington, DC next week featuring 4 of our current Project Fellows (Yingyi Ma, @kyleichan.bsky.social, Carl Minzner, & Elsa Kania) previewing the U.S.-China policy recommendations they are developing through our Project. Full details below:
September 2, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Looking forward to attending this next Wednesday as part of our Penn Project D.C. week agenda!
With China set to host a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of World War II’s end, now’s an excellent time to preorder my book “China’s Date Debate: How Manchurian Scholars Rewrote World War II”! press.umich.edu/Books/C/Chin...
China’s Date Debate
China’s Date Debate is an in-depth investigation of the Chinese Communist Party’s remapping of China’s World War II timeline from eight years (1937-–1945) to fourteen years (1931–1945). Instead of the...
press.umich.edu
September 2, 2025 at 8:47 PM
With China set to host a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of World War II’s end, now’s an excellent time to preorder my book “China’s Date Debate: How Manchurian Scholars Rewrote World War II”! press.umich.edu/Books/C/Chin...
Reposted by Emily Matson
September 2, 2025 at 4:39 PM