A memorial lecture will
be held to honor the late political science Professor Tianjian Shi on at 5 p.m.,
Friday, April 8, in the Divinity School's Goodson Chapel.
Shi passed on Dec. 25,
2010, at the age of 59. He held posts at Duke and Tsinghua University in China
and was also senior research associate at the Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace. He belonged to the first generation of Chinese students
who pursued advanced studies in the United States following the Cultural
Revolution and has since gained wide recognition as an influential China
specialist.
"TJ" as he was known in
America, joined the Duke faculty in 1993, where he was not only a mainstay in the
department, but an important figure across campus, working closely with the
Asian and Pacific Studies Center, and establishing the China Election Study
Group at Duke University.
Shi is best known for
his work on political participation and elections in China. His influential
work, "Political Participation in
Beijing," was the first of five books and monographs that examined
Chinese culture and politics. His course on the topic is regularly cited by
Duke Ph.D. students as the single best of their graduate career.
For more information on
Shi's life and on the memorial service, visit the event's Facebook page.