From the Cold War to the China Initiative: Crisis in American Science in Historical Perspective

Recent actions by the US federal government have heightened a sense of crisis in American science, reflected in deep cuts to federal funding and employment, as well as in restrictions and investigations targeting immigrant scientists. This talk places these developments in historical perspective by examining the challenges faced by American science during the Cold War, particularly in the McCarthy era. It also draws comparisons with other national/historical contexts, most notably China during the Cultural Revolution, and explores the experiences of Chinese American scientists, including those scrutinized under the US government's recent China Initiative.