About Me
My name is Kankan Xie (or 谢侃侃 in Chinese), Assistant Professor of Southeast Asian Studies at the School of Foreign Languages, Peking University, China. I am interested in various historical and contemporary issues of the broadly defined "Nusantara" (Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore) and beyond.
My research projects deal with topics such as leftwing movements, Dutch colonialism, nationalism & decolonization, ethnicity & identity politics, governance & rural development, China & Southeast Asia in the Cold War.
Education
Dissertation Committee
Ph.D. | University of California, Berkeley | 2012 -- 2018
Southeast Asian Studies; DE in Dutch Studies
M.A. | Cornell University | 2010 -- 2012
Asian Studies
B.A. | Beijing Foreign Studies University | 2006 -- 2010
Peter Zinoman | History | Chair (2017-- )
Jeffrey Hadler | Southeast Asian Studies | Chair (2012--17)
Eric Tagliacozzo| History (Cornell)
Jeroen Dewulf | Dutch Studies
Sylvia Tiwon | Southeast Asian Studies
Malay Language & Literature
Qualifying Exam Fields
Language Skills
Mandarin | Native
English | Fluent
Indonesian | Fluent
Malay | Fluent
Dutch | Advanced
Cantonese | Advanced
Southeast Asian History | Jeffrey Hadler | Southeast Asian Studies
Comparative Communism| Peter Zinoman | History
Dutch Colonialism | Jeroen Dewulf | Dutch Studies
International Relations | T.J. Pempel | Political Science
Teaching Experience
Peking University, China | Assistant Professor
SFL03918370 (graduate): Modern History of Island Southeast Asia (Fall 2019)
SFL03910013 (graduate): Graduate Writing Seminar (co-taught) (Fall 2019)
SFL03534731 (undergrad): Malay (A) (Fall 2019)
University of California, Berkeley | Graduate Student Instructor
SEA 10B: Intro to Southeast Asian Civilization: People, Power, and Performance (with Sylvia Tiwon, Spring 2018)
SEA 10B: People and Politics of Island Southeast Asia (with Annette Clear, Spring 2014)
Chinese 1A: Elementary Chinese (Fall 2014)
Chinese 1X: Elementary Chinese for Heritage Students I (Fall 2013)
Chinese 10X: Elementary Chinese for Heritage Students II (Spring 2013)
Cornell University | Teaching Assistant
Chinese 2201: Intermediate Chinese (Fall 2011)
Selected Fellowships and Awards
Young Scholar Grant, National Social Science Fund, China, 2020-2025
Overseas Chinese Studies Research Grant, The Chinese Institute of Overseas Chinese Studies, 2020-2022
Curriculum Development Grant, Graduate School, Peking University, 2019
New Faculty Start-UP Grant, Peking University, 2019-2021
The Elvera Kwang Siam Lim Fellowship in Chinese Studies, Center for Chinese Studies, UC--Berkeley, 2016 --18
The Lee Kong Chian Research Fellowship, National Library Board, Singapore, 2016 --17
The John L. Simpson Memorial Research Fellowship, Institute of International Studies, UC--Berkeley, 2016 --17
Transparency for Development (T4D) Research Fellowship, Ash Center, Harvard Kennedy School, 2015 -- 16
The Magistretti Award, South & Southeast Asian Studies, UC--Berkeley, 2017
Brill Fellowship, Scaliger Institute, Leiden University Library, 2016
The Milton L. Barnett Scholarship, Southeast Asia Program, Cornell University, 2011