This is an online event organized by Institute for Asian Studies and co-sponsored by Department of Sociology.
Authoritarian Absorption: The Transnational Remaking of Epidemic Politics in China
Why do states take some epidemics seriously but not others? This talk tackles this question by tracing China’s infectious disease system between 1978 and 2018. Unlikely players—foreign health organizations, Chinese officials, and grassroots activists—together reshaped epidemic control, setting the stage for China’s handling of COVID-19. Their interactions not only strengthened public health institutions but also reinforced authoritarian rule while reworking biopolitical inequality. Some groups—notably urban gay men—gained visibility and resources, while female sex workers and rural farmers remained marginalized. This transformation invites us to think about how authoritarian states absorb global liberal ideas—less to liberalize,
and more to consolidate power and project strength.
Date: Thursday, January 22, 2026
Time: 12:40 pm - 2:00 pm
Presenter: Yan Long, PhD (Associate Professor, Department of Sociology) University of California, Berkeley
Dr. Yan Long is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. She is a political and organizational sociologist whose research examines how globalization and authoritarian politics intersect in domains such as public health, civic action, and digital technology. Her award-winning articles have appeared in the American Journal of Sociology, the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, and Social Science & Medicine, among others. Her book, Authoritarian Absorption: The Transnational Remaking of Epidemic Politics in China (Oxford University Press, 2024), has received four national distinctions, including the 2025 Best Book on Asia from the American Sociological Association.