HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Bruce Gilley (born July 21, 1966) is a Canadian–American professor of
political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
and director of the PhD program in Public Affairs and Policy at the ''Mark O. Hatfield School of Government'' at ''
Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the following two decades ...
''. He is the founder and President of the '' Oregon Association of Scholars'',Author: Bruce Gilley – mindingthecampus.org
Retrieved January 30, 2023
member of the ''
Heterodox Academy Heterodox Academy (HxA) is a non-profit advocacy group of academics working to counteract what they see as a lack of viewpoint diversity on college campuses, especially political diversity. History In 2011, Jonathan Haidt, a psychology professor ...
'' and founding signatory of the ''Oregon Academic Faculty Pledge on Freedom''. Gilley gained international acclaim but also a storm of criticism for his highly controversial
peer-reviewed Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work (peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review ...
article ''The Case for Colonialism'', published in an advance online edition of the
scientific journal In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. Content Articles in scientific journals are mostly written by active scientists such as s ...
''Third World Quarterly'' in 2017. Fifteen members of the journal's board resigned over Gilley's article.


Scholarship

Prof. Dr. Bruce Gilley a Canadian born
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
of Scottish decent received his Bachelor of Arts in economics and international relations from the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
in 1988. As a
Commonwealth Scholar The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) is an international programme under which Commonwealth governments offer scholarships and fellowships to citizens of other Commonwealth countries. History The plan was originally proposed ...
he did his
Master of Economics The Master of Economics (MEcon or MEc) is a postgraduate master's degree in economics comprising training in economic theory, econometrics, and/or applied economics. The degree is also offered as an MS or MSc, MA or MCom in economics; varian ...
at the
University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...
from 1989 to 1991, and went to China to spend a year teaching English. From 1992 to 2002, he worked as a journalist in Hong Kong writing for the ''
Eastern Express The Eastern Express ( tr, Doğu Ekspresi) is an overnight passenger train operated by the Turkish State Railways. The train runs from Ankara Railway Station to Kars Railway Station in Kars. The train was the first overnight service east of Ank ...
'' newspaper and then the ''
Far Eastern Economic Review The ''Far Eastern Economic Review'' (''FEER'') was an Asian business magazine published between 1946 and December 2009 in the English language. Based in Hong Kong, the news magazine published weekly until December 2004, when it converted to a m ...
'' magazine where his biggest scoop was exposing an illicit technology transfer by a Stanford professor to China's military. Gilley was a
Woodrow Wilson Scholar The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (or Wilson Center) is a quasi-government entity and think tank which conducts research to inform public policy. Located in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washi ...
at
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
from 2004 to 2006 from where he received his PhD in politics in 2007.Bruce Gilley's Academic page and Bio at Portland state University
/ref> He became an
associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. Overview In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a ...
in 2008 at the Department of
Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
of the ''Mark O. Hatfield School of Government'' at
Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the following two decades ...
. He was granted
academic tenure Tenure is a category of academic appointment existing in some countries. A tenured post is an indefinite academic appointment that can be terminated only for cause or under extraordinary circumstances, such as financial exigency or program disco ...
in 2011 and promoted to
full professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...
in 2016. Gilley's research centers on comparative and international politics and public policy. His work covers issues as diverse as democracy,
climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
,
political legitimacy In political science, legitimacy is the right and acceptance of an authority, usually a governing law or a regime. Whereas ''authority'' denotes a specific position in an established government, the term ''legitimacy'' denotes a system of governm ...
, and
international conflict Peace and conflict studies is a social science field that identifies and analyzes violent and nonviolent behaviours as well as the structural mechanisms attending conflicts (including social conflicts), with a view towards understanding those pro ...
. He is a specialist on the
politics of China The People's Republic of China is run by a single party, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), headed by the CCP General Secretary who tends to be the paramount leader of China. China is among few contemporary party-led dictatorships to not hold ...
and Asia. His 2006 article "The meaning and measure of state legitimacy: results for 72 countries" introduced a novel multidimensional,
quantitative Quantitative may refer to: * Quantitative research, scientific investigation of quantitative properties * Quantitative analysis (disambiguation) * Quantitative verse, a metrical system in poetry * Statistics, also known as quantitative analysis ...
measure of the qualitative concept of
political legitimacy In political science, legitimacy is the right and acceptance of an authority, usually a governing law or a regime. Whereas ''authority'' denotes a specific position in an established government, the term ''legitimacy'' denotes a system of governm ...
. His work has since been extended by other scholars, and customized to specific geographical regions such as Latin America and Europe. Gilley himself has since updated his work on quantification of legitimacy with additional empirical data.


The Case for Colonialism

Gilley's article "The case for colonialism" was published in an advance online version of the ''
Third World Quarterly ''Third World Quarterly'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Routledge, established in 1979. , its editor-in-chief is Shahid Qadir. It was published eight times per year until 2011 when publication increased to ten times per year. It ...
'' in 2017, against the recommendation of its reviewers. According to Gilley,
colonialism Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...
was both objectively beneficial (the benefits outweighed the harms) and subjectively legitimate (it was accepted by large portions of the local population). Consequently, the author calls for a revival of colonialism. The article was controversial both for its argument and for its subsequent withdrawal, and resulted in a debate about academic standards and peer review. Fifteen members of the journal's board resigned over the issue. Critics described the article as low-quality and said that it was published, over the objections of reviewers, as a form of academic
clickbait Clickbait is a text or a thumbnail link that is designed to attract attention and to entice users to follow that link and read, view, or listen to the linked piece of online content, being typically deceptive, sensationalized, or otherwise misl ...
, while board member
Noam Chomsky Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is an American public intellectual: a linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic, and political activist. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky is ...
defended the publication of the article, saying that it's “pretty clear that proper procedures were not followed in publishing the article, but I think retraction is a mistake – and also opens very dangerous doors...Rebuttal offers a great opportunity for education, not only in this case.” The article was ultimately retracted with Gilley's assent after the editor had received threats of violence and it was re-published in the
National Association of Scholars The National Association of Scholars (NAS) is an American non-profit politically conservative advocacy organization, with a particular interest in education. It opposes a perceived political correctness on college campuses and supports a return ...
' journal ''
Academic Questions The National Association of Scholars (NAS) is an American non-profit politically conservative advocacy organization, with a particular interest in education. It opposes a perceived political correctness on college campuses and supports a retur ...
'' in April 2018. When asked if it would be ethical to publish a paper making a case for genocide, Gilley said, "I think everyone would agree, enocideis a moral wrong" but that he did not believe colonialism was a moral wrong. Geographer Reuben Rose-Redwood argued that there is a documented connection between colonialism and genocide. In the spring of 2022, Gilley responded to many of his critics in a second article entitled 'The Case for Colonialism: A Response to My Critics'.


The Last Imperialist

Gilley's biography of Sir Alan Burns, entitled ''The Last Imperialist: Sir Alan Burns's Epic Defense of the British Empire'', was withdrawn from publishing by
Rowman & Littlefield Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an independent publishing house founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns the book distributing compa ...
after
J. Moufawad-Paul Joshua Moufawad-Paul is a Canadian academic and writer from Toronto, Canada. He is a professor of philosophy at York University. A Marxism–Leninism–Maoism, Maoist philosopher, Moufawad-Paul has written several works on the topic and regular ...
started a petition, which gained over 1000 signatories, saying the author espoused a "pro-colonial" and "
white nationalist White nationalism is a type of racial nationalism or pan-nationalism which espouses the belief that white people are a raceHeidi Beirich and Kevin Hicks. "Chapter 7: White nationalism in America". In Perry, Barbara. ''Hate Crimes''. Greenwoo ...
" perspective. Gilley defended the book by saying it had passed a peer-review procedure and was endorsed by historians
Tirthankar Roy Tirthankar Roy (born 14 February 1960) is an Indian economic historian and Professor of Economic History at the London School of Economics. He is one of the most influential researchers of the Economic History of South Asia and India, having p ...
and Jeremy Black; Roy confirmed that it had been peer-reviewed and that he had endorsed it and stated that " at it could be an apology for empires ... never crossed my mind, I do not think this book is one". The book was published by conservative publishing house
Regnery Gateway Regnery Publishing is a politically conservative book publisher based in Washington, D.C. The company was founded by Henry Regnery in 1947, and is now a division of radio broadcaster Salem Media Group. It is led by President & Publisher Thomas Sp ...
in September 2021.


Hong Kong independence

Gilley's views about
colonialism Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...
were strongly influenced by his years as a journalist when he worked in Hong Kong. During his stay the British transferred their crown colony Hong Kong to China on the first of July 1997. The tremendous fear among the population of Hong Kong prior to the transfer of power to China in 1997 made a big impression on him.


Political views

Gilley describes himself as a "
classical liberal Classical liberalism is a political tradition and a branch of liberalism that advocates free market and laissez-faire economics; civil liberties under the rule of law with especial emphasis on individual autonomy, limited government, economic ...
" and "an
independent voter An independent voter, often also called an unaffiliated voter or non-affiliated voter in the United States, is a voter who does not align themselves with a political party. An independent is variously defined as a voter who votes for candidates o ...
". In 2017, Gilley withdrew from the
American Political Science Association The American Political Science Association (APSA) is a professional association of political science students and scholars in the United States. Founded in 1903 in the Tilton Memorial Library (now Tilton Hall) of Tulane University in New Orleans, ...
, stating that he considered it to lack intellectual diversity and to possess an anti-conservative bias. As a member of the
Heterodox Academy Heterodox Academy (HxA) is a non-profit advocacy group of academics working to counteract what they see as a lack of viewpoint diversity on college campuses, especially political diversity. History In 2011, Jonathan Haidt, a psychology professor ...
, he has been critical of tenure evaluations which require a pledge to uphold collegiate diversity. Gilley has been critical of educational initiatives designed to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion.


Memberships and awards

Gilley is a member of the
editorial board The editorial board is a group of experts, usually at a publication, who dictate the tone and direction the publication's editorial policy will take. Mass media At a newspaper, the editorial board usually consists of the editorial page editor, a ...
s of the ''
Journal of Democracy The ''Journal of Democracy'' is a quarterly academic journal established in 1990 and an official publication of the National Endowment for Democracy's International Forum for Democratic Studies. It covers the study of democracy, democratic regimes ...
'' and the ''
Journal of Contemporary China The ''Journal of Contemporary China'' is a multidisciplinary peer-reviewed academic journal on contemporary Chinese affairs. It is published five times per year by Routledge and covers issues such as Chinese politics, law, economy, culture, and for ...
''. furthermore Gilley is the chapter president of the Oregon Association of Scholars, the state chapter of the
National Association of Scholars The National Association of Scholars (NAS) is an American non-profit politically conservative advocacy organization, with a particular interest in education. It opposes a perceived political correctness on college campuses and supports a return ...
, member of the
Heterodox Academy Heterodox Academy (HxA) is a non-profit advocacy group of academics working to counteract what they see as a lack of viewpoint diversity on college campuses, especially political diversity. History In 2011, Jonathan Haidt, a psychology professor ...
and founding signatory of the ''Oregon Academic Faculty Pledge on Freedom''. He is the recipient of the following awards and nominations for scholarly achievement and articles: *Commonwealth Scholarship,
University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...
(1989–1991) *East Asian Studies Prize, Princeton University (2002) *Woodrow Wilson Scholars Fellowship, Princeton University (2004–2006) * Marcel Cadieux Award, Best Article on Foreign Policy,
Canadian Institute of International Affairs The Canadian International Council (CIC; french: Conseil international du Canada, link=no) is a Canadian think tank on foreign relations. It is an independent, member-based council established to strengthen Canada's role in international affairs. ...
* Nominated for Gabriel A. Almond Best Dissertation Award,
American Political Science Association The American Political Science Association (APSA) is a professional association of political science students and scholars in the United States. Founded in 1903 in the Tilton Memorial Library (now Tilton Hall) of Tulane University in New Orleans, ...
(2006, 2012) * Best Dissertation in Comparative Politics, Department of Politics, Princeton University (2007) * Frank Cass Prize, Best Article in Democratization (2010) *Dean's Award for Scholarly Achievement – Senior Faculty, College of Urban and Public Affairs (2016)


Selected publications


Authored

* ''Tiger on the Brink: Jiang Zemin and China's New Elite''.
University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by faculty ...
, 1998. * ''Model Rebels: The Rise and Fall of China's Richest Village''. University of California Press, 2001. * ''China's New Rulers: The Secret Files''.
New York Review of Books New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
, New York, 2003. (With Andrew Nathan) * ''China's Democratic Future: How It Will Happen and Where It Will Lead''.
Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fiel ...
, 2004. * ''The Right to Rule: How States Win and Lose Legitimacy''. Columbia University Press, 2009. * ''The Nature of Asian Politics''.
Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press A university press is an academic publishing hou ...
, 2014. * ''The Last Imperialist: Sir Alan Burns's Epic Defense of the British Empire''.
Regnery Gateway Regnery Publishing is a politically conservative book publisher based in Washington, D.C. The company was founded by Henry Regnery in 1947, and is now a division of radio broadcaster Salem Media Group. It is led by President & Publisher Thomas Sp ...
, 2021. * ''In Defense of German Colonialism: And How Its Critics Empowered Nazis, Communists, and the Enemies of the West''.
Regnery Gateway Regnery Publishing is a politically conservative book publisher based in Washington, D.C. The company was founded by Henry Regnery in 1947, and is now a division of radio broadcaster Salem Media Group. It is led by President & Publisher Thomas Sp ...
, 2022.


Edited

* ''Middle Powers and the Rise of China''.
Georgetown University Press Georgetown University Press is a university press affiliated with Georgetown University that publishes about forty new books a year. The press's major subject areas include bioethics, international affairs, languages and linguistics, political sc ...
, Washington DC, 2014. (With Andrew O'Neil) * ''Political Change in China: Comparisons With Taiwan''. Lynne Rienner, Boulder, 2008. (With Larry Diamond) * ''Asia's Giants: Comparing China and India''.
Palgrave Macmillan Palgrave Macmillan is a British academic and trade publishing company headquartered in the London Borough of Camden. Its programme includes textbooks, journals, monographs, professional and reference works in print and online. It maintains off ...
, New York, 2005. (With Edward Friedman)


Articles


"Against the concept of ethnic conflict"
''Third World Quarterly''. 25 (6): 1155–1166. doi:10.1080/0143659042000256959. Archived from the original on January 20, 2018. * "The Case for Colonialism", ''
Third World Quarterly ''Third World Quarterly'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Routledge, established in 1979. , its editor-in-chief is Shahid Qadir. It was published eight times per year until 2011 when publication increased to ten times per year. It ...
'', 2017. (Republished in ''
Academic Questions The National Association of Scholars (NAS) is an American non-profit politically conservative advocacy organization, with a particular interest in education. It opposes a perceived political correctness on college campuses and supports a retur ...
'', June 2018, Vol. 31, No. 2, pp. 167–185. )
The Case For Colonialism In The Middle East
'' A
Hoover Institution The Hoover Institution (officially The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace; abbreviated as Hoover) is an American public policy think tank and research institution that promotes personal and economic liberty, free enterprise, and ...
essay from the caravan notebook'', August 2020.
"The Case for Colonialism: A Response to My Critics"
''Academic Questions'', Spring 2022.
"King Hochschild’s Hoax"
''
The American Conservative ''The American Conservative'' (''TAC'') is a magazine published by the American Ideas Institute which was founded in 2002. Originally published twice a month, it was reduced to monthly publication in August 2009, and since February 2013, it has ...
'', April 17, 2023.
The Ghost Still Haunts: Adam Hochschild responds to Bruce Gilley, who follows in kind.
''The American Conservative'', May 29, 2023.


See also

*
Nigel Biggar Nigel John Biggar (born 14 March 1955) is a British Anglican priest and theologian. From 2007 to 2022, he has been Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology at the University of Oxford. Early life Biggar was born on 14 March 1955 in Cast ...
*
Colonialism Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...


References


Notes


Citations


External links


Bruce Gilley and Douglas Murray discuss one of the biggest criticisms of the West – colonialism
Uncancelled History, 2022. *
Video of lecture "The Case for Colonialism" at Texas Tech University, 2018

text
*
List of research papers
at
ResearchGate ResearchGate is a European commercial social networking site for scientists and researchers to share papers, ask and answer questions, and find collaborators. According to a 2014 study by ''Nature'' and a 2016 article in ''Times Higher Education'' ...

List of his books
at
Goodreads Goodreads is an American social cataloging website and a subsidiary of Amazon that allows individuals to search its database of books, annotations, quotes, and reviews. Users can sign up and register books to generate library catalogs and read ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilley, Bruce Living people 1966 births Portland State University faculty American political scientists Princeton University alumni American male journalists American non-fiction writers Alumni of the University of Oxford University of Toronto alumni Historians of China Historians of colonialism American people of Scottish descent Canadian American