Lucie Cheng () was a
sociologist known for her work in
Asian American studies, as well as being the first permanent director of the Asian American Studies Center,
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
.
She was also one of the first American academics to forge links with
mainland Chinese
Mainland Chinese or Mainlanders are Chinese people who live in or have recently emigrated from mainland China, defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (PRC) except for Hong Kong ( SAR of the PRC), Macau (SAR of the PRC), ...
academic institutions after the
formalisation of Sino-US relations.
[
]
Early life
Cheng was born to journalist Cheng Shewo and Hsiao Tsung-jang (蕭宗讓) in Hong Kong during the Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...
. As a result of her father's job, Cheng moved frequently with her family during her youth to Guilin
Guilin (Standard Zhuang: ''Gveilinz''; alternatively romanized as Kweilin) is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is situated on the west bank of the Li River and borders Hunan to the nort ...
, Chongqing, and Beiping
"Beijing" is from pinyin ''Běijīng,'' which is romanized from , the Chinese name for this city. The pinyin system of transliteration was approved by the Chinese government in 1958, but little used until 1979. It was gradually adopted by various ...
. After the end of the war, the family returned to Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
, though Cheng's older brother later returned to People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
to help with the socialist movement. In 1952, the family moved Cheng and her elder sister Catherine Chia-lin Cheng (成嘉玲)to Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
.[
]
Education
Cheng attended the prestigious Taipei First Girls' High School
Taipei First Girls High School (TFG; ; colloquially or ), is a Taiwanese all-girls senior high school, located in Zhongzheng District, Taipei City. Accepting only the top scorers in the national Comprehensive Assessment Program for Junior Hig ...
, before joining the Department for Foreign Languages at National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University (NTU; ) is a public research university in Taipei, Taiwan.
The university was founded in 1928 during Japanese rule as the seventh of the Imperial Universities. It was named Taihoku Imperial University and served d ...
. In her second year, Cheng studied abroad in the Music Department of University of Hawaii
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
, despite her father's objections.[ During her stay, Cheng worked as a babysitter for a wealthy American family; the experience piqued her interest in ]class stratification
Class stratification is a form of social stratification in which a society is separated into parties whose members have different access to resources and power. An economic, natural, cultural, religious, interests and ideal rift usually exists be ...
.[ She then went on to obtain an MA in ]Sociology
Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...
from the university and an MA in library studies at the University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...
, before completing her PhD at the University of Hawaii in 1970.[
]
Career
United States
Cheng became assistant professor of sociology at UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
in 1970. Due to her engagements with politics and student movements, she became director of UCLA's Asian American Studies Center; the first permanent director since the center was founded in 1969.[ Cheng developed and expanded the centre, employing some of its major scholars, like Valerie Matsumoto, Robert A. Nakamura, and ]Russell Leong
Russell Charles Leong (born 1950) is an academic editor, professor, writer, and long-time Chen-style t'ai chi ch'uan student. The long-time editor of Amerasia Journal (1977–2010), Leong was an adjunct professor of English and Asian-American Studi ...
.[ Under Cheng, the center was run according to ]socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...
principles, with students and teachers rejecting hierarchical structures considered typical in capitalist America.[
In 1978, alongside the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California, Cheng organised the 'Southern California Chinese American Oral History Project'. The project focussed on oral testimonies of history by grassroots Chinese Americans, encouraging them to engage with cultural struggles both in China and America.][
After the normalisation of Sino-US relations in 1979, Cheng visited a Chinese university with other members of UCLA, becoming one of the first academic parties to visit the mainland.][ Cheng had, however, visited the Chinese mainland throughout the 1970s in a person capacity, searching for her brother and sister on her father's behalf. During one visit, she met with ]Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 January 1976. Zhou served under Chairman Ma ...
, who informed her that her father was no longer considered an enemy by the Communist Part.[
In 1985, Cheng founded the Center of Pacific Rim Studies at UCLA, for research on regions typically on the borders of other studies.][
]
Taiwan
Cheng assumed management of her father's Taiwan-based paper, the ''Li pao'' (), in 1991 and continued to support leftist perspectives.[ She then divided her time between the ]United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, teaching at Shih Hsin University
Shih Hsin University (SHU; ) is a private university known for its mass communication departments in Taiwan, founded in Muzha, Taipei in 1956. SHU ranked 22nd overall among top 30 liberal arts Universities in Taiwan in 2020 and secured the top ...
, before becoming a professor there in 1993, when she founded a course on gender
Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures ...
and development.[
In 2006, she founded ''Sifang pao'' (), a paper aimed at Vietnamese and Thai immigrants and migrant workers.][
]
Honours
*2011 35th Golden Tripod Award - special contribution.
*The Lucie Cheng Prize is awarded by the Amerasia Journal
''Amerasia Journal'' is a triannual peer-reviewed academic journal established in 1971 that covers Pacific Islander and Asian American studies . The journal regularly publishes special issues addressing a particular theme.
History
The Amerasia j ...
, and recognises outstanding student essays in Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies.
Selected works
Books
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Articles
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheng, Lucie
1939 births
2010 deaths
American Marxists
Taiwanese Marxists
Chinese women sociologists
Hong Kong emigrants to Taiwan
National Taiwan University alumni
Shih Hsin University faculty
University of California, Los Angeles faculty
University of Chicago alumni
University of Hawaiʻi alumni