James Hevia (University of Chicago), “Desert Locust Plagues and Imperialism Science” (Yale Agrarian Studies)

James Hevia’s research has focused on empire and imperialism in eastern and central Asia. Primarily dealing with the British Empire in India and southeast Asia and the Qing empire in China, the specific concerns have been with the causes and justifications for conflict; how empire in Asia became normalized within Europe through markets, exhibitions, and various forms of public media; and how the events of the nineteenth century are remembered in contemporary China.