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Cheng Li
Overview
Cheng Li is a Chinese-born political scientist specializing in Chinese politics and the Chinese Communist Party. He joined Hamilton College’s Government Department in 1991, initially as an Instructor, and rose to the rank of William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Government — one of Hamilton’s named, endowed chairs. He taught at Hamilton for approximately nineteen years before departing around 2010. He is now a Senior Fellow and Director of the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution, and is widely recognized as one of the leading American scholars on elite Chinese politics and leadership succession.
Relevance to Research
Cheng Li appears in every Hamilton course catalog from 1991–92 through 2009–10 — nineteen consecutive annual volumes — placing him consistently in the Government Department. The catalogs document his full academic trajectory: from Instructor (1991–92) to Associate Professor (by 1997–98) to William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Government (confirmed by 2003–04). He is also regularly listed as a faculty member supporting the Asian Studies interdisciplinary program. The year marker “(1991)” that appears beside his name in the faculty appendices throughout the series confirms a single continuous appointment beginning in 1991.
Notes
Role: William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Government; member of the Asian Studies interdisciplinary committee Hamilton connection: Faculty, 1991–ca. 2010 Credentials (as listed in catalogs): B.A., East China Normal University; M.A., University of California at Berkeley; M.D., Jing An Medical School, Shanghai; Ph.D., Princeton University Key events: - 1991–92: Appointed Instructor in Government; listed on the Asian Studies interdisciplinary committee alongside faculty from Art, Chinese, Philosophy, Anthropology, Comparative Literature, and History - 1991–92: Named in the Government Department alongside David Paris (Chair), Frank Anechiarico, Alfred Atherton, Vincent Auger, Theodore Eismeier, Stephen Orvis, and Don Van Atta - 1993–94: Listed as teaching both Fall and Spring semesters (FS designation); appears with Asian Studies faculty listing - 1997–98: Rank confirmed as Associate Professor of Government; Ph.D. from Princeton now listed in credentials - 2003–04: Promoted to William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Government — Hamilton’s named endowed chair; listed as Asian Studies faculty contributor - 2006–07: Continues as Kenan Professor; listed as teaching East Semester (ES) courses; identified specifically under Asian Studies as “Cheng Li (Government)” - 2009–10: Final appearance in corpus; listed in Government Department faculty for Fall and Spring