Archives and History Initiative Report by Renyuan (Carl) Zhang and Disty Mahmud
On September 17, 2025, fifteen participants gathered for a senior thesis workshop, where five students presented the outlines and progress of their signature work projects and received peer and faculty feedback.
Runkun Zhao (John) introduced Constructing the Tech Threat: U.S. Securitization and the Policy Shift Toward China Since 2015, examining how U.S. discourse framed Chinese technological development as a security threat, leading to strategic containment policies. Jiayi Wei presented Assessing the Impact of China’s 1979 Election Law on Women’s Representation in Local People’s Congresses, analyzing how electoral reforms intended to expand competition inadvertently reduced women’s representation. Zhenan Xie discussed Battling in Discourse: Framing Figures in Sino-American Diplomacy, 1941–43, which investigates how propaganda and rhetoric shaped images of China, America, and Japan during World War II. Carl Zhang shared Mass Transit from World War to Cold War: Shanghai’s Public Transportation System, 1937–1965, tracing how warfare, resource scarcity, and political change reshaped Shanghai’s transit systems. Disty Mahmud presented The Erased Self: The Politics of FX Harsono’s art during the New Order era (1966-98), exploring how the Chinese-Indonesian artist negotiated both self-erasure and political critique in his artworks under Suharto’s authoritarianism.
The workshop offered constructive critique, encouraging presenters to refine their arguments and expand their theoretical and comparative frames. Suggestions included integrating Indonesian theorists and critics, adding comparative perspectives to U.S.–China discourse analysis, and clarifying argument structure. The discussion emphasized methodological rigor, theoretical grounding, and the value of cross-disciplinary dialogue.
Thanks to all the students who joined the event to support the presenters. Professors Titas Chakraborty, Joseph Giacomelli, Jesse Olsavsky, Jan Hua-Henning, Lei Lin, and Andrew Field provided valuable feedback. Ryder Kouba, DKU’s Archives and Special Collections Librarian, also came to support the workshop. Mark your calendar: Ryder Kouba will give insight into relevant special collections and databases on November 19.
