The China Quarterly (CQ)[1] is a British triple-anonymous peer-reviewed academic journal established in 1960[2] on contemporary China including Taiwan.[3]

The China Quarterly
DisciplineArea studies
LanguageEnglish
Edited byTimothy Hildebrandt, Jieyu Liu and Tim Pringle
Publication details
History1960–present
Publisher
Cambridge University Press for SOAS University of London. (United Kingdom)
FrequencyQuarterly
2.5 (2022)
Standard abbreviations
ISO 4China Q.
Indexing
ISSN0305-7410 (print)
1468-2648 (web)
LCCN62000248
OCLC no.01554322
Links

It is considered one of the most important academic journals about China in the world[4] and is published by Cambridge University Press.[5] It covers anthropology, business, literature, the arts, economics, geography, history, international affairs, law, politics, and sociology. Each issue contains articles, research reports, and a book review section. CQ is owned by the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.[6] Its editors are Timothy Hildebrandt (LSE), Jieyu Liu (SOAS), and Tim Pringle (SOAS).

History

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The China Quarterly began as an offshoot of Soviet Survey, a journal published by the Congress for Cultural Freedom (CCF).[7] In 1959, Walter Laqueur, the editor of Soviet Survey, asked sinologist Roderick MacFarquhar to edit the new journal, the first issue of which was released in 1960.[7] The publisher was transferred in 1968 from CCF to the Contemporary China Institute at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies.[7]

The transfer followed the revelation that CCF was funded by the Central Intelligence Agency through the Farfield Foundation. MacFarquhar stated he was unaware of the relationship and his editorship was not influenced by CCF.[7] However, he admitted to knowingly publishing articles provided by the CIA and the British Foreign Office's covert propaganda unit, the Information Research Department, and giving the authors pseudonyms to keep their identities secret.[7] David Wilson succeeded MacFarquhar as editor in 1968.[7]

Controversies

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In August 2017, Cambridge University Press (CUP), the publisher, confirmed that it had removed access to over 300 articles from readers in China following pressure from Chinese government. CUP subsequently reversed its decision and restored the articles,[8] stating that the move was meant to avoid having their entire publication blocked. The press published a list of articles removed, including sensitive topics such as human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Tibet, the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, pro-democracy movements in Hong Kong, and the negative effects of the Cultural Revolution.[9] Several academics criticised CUP's self-censorship, while CUP stated that it was "troubled by the recent increase in requests of this nature" and was committed to academic freedom.[10]

The Guardian reported the censorship was part of a broader crackdown on dissent since Xi Jinping became the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in 2012.[10]

Abstracting and indexing

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This journal is indexed by the following services:

References

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  1. ^ "Forced to comply or shut down, Cambridge University Press's China Quarterly removes 300 articles in China". Quartz. 18 August 2017.
  2. ^ Elisabeth Gayon (1985). "Guide documentaire de l'étudiant et du chercheur en science politique". In Madeleine Grawitz [in French]; Jean Leca [in French] (eds.). Traité de science politique (in French). Presses Universitaires de France. p. 305. ISBN 2-13-038858-2.
  3. ^ "The China Quarterly | Cambridge Core". Cambridge Core. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  4. ^ "《中國季刊》:對中國刪300多篇文章深表關注". BBC News 中文. 18 August 2017.
  5. ^ "About the China Quarterly". Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  6. ^ "The China Quarterly". SOAS. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e f MacFarquhar, Roderick (1995). "The Founding of The China Quarterly". The China Quarterly. 143 (143): 692–696. doi:10.1017/S0305741000015009. S2CID 154767882.
  8. ^ Cook, Leslie (22 August 2017). "'China Quarterly' Publisher Restores Articles Following Backlash From Scholars". National Public Radio.
  9. ^ "The T iananmen Papers Revisited". www.cambridge.org. 11 May 2004. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  10. ^ a b Phillips, Tom (19 August 2017). "Cambridge University Press accused of 'selling its soul' over Chinese censorship". The Guardian.
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