| Arif Dirlik intended to be a nuclear
physicist. Born in Mersin, Turkey in 1940 (or 1941, if you ask his mother) he received his
undergraduate degree in engineering and came to America to study science at the University
of Rochester. Shortly after arriving at Rochester, Dirlik decided
to abandon the sciences entirely and apply himself to history. He was welcomed into the
field by a group of intellectual historians there, who expressed no surprise that he would
make such a transition.
It was here that his interest in Chinese history developed, and he
completed his dissertation on the origins of Marxist historiography in China. This work
was the beginning of a larger investigation into Chinese political thought, particularly
the origins of the idea of social revolution in Chinese radical movements. It was also the
springboard for his engagement with the Chinese anarchists, which he began to vigorously
research in the early 1980’s.
In addition to writing numerous books and articles, Dirlik has taught at
Duke University since joining their History department in 1971. He is also the father of
two sons, one of whom is a graduate student in film and, the other, an aspiring rock
musician.
When I asked Dirlik to identify the main influences on his work, he
paused for a moment and then cited Marx, Mao, and Dostoevsky. He did not mention an
engineer or a physicist. |
Selected
Works
Anarchism in the Chinese Revolution. Berkeley: University of
California Press, 1991.
Schools into Fields and Factories: Anarchists, the Guomindang, and
the National Labor University in Shanghai, 1927-1932 (with Ming Chan). Durham:
Duke University Press, 1991.
The Postcolonial Aura: Third World Criticism in the Age of Global
Capitalism. Boulder: Westview Press, 1997.
After the Revolution: Waking to Global Capitalism. Hanover, NH:
Wesleyan University Press, 1994.
Revolution and History: Origins of Marxist Historiography in China,
1919-1937. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990.
The Origins of Chinese Communism. New York: Oxford University
Press, 1989.
Chinese Postmodernism (Editor with Xudong Zhang). Durham: Duke
University Press, forthcoming.
Critical Perspectives on Mao Zedong's Thought (Editor with Paul
Healy and Nick Knight). Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press, 1997.
Asia/Pacific As Space of Cultural Production (Editor with Rob
Wilson). Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1994.
What Is in a Rim?: Critical Perspectives on the Pacific Region Idea (Editor).
Boulder: Westview Press, 1993. |
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