Mara Yue Du

Mara Du is a historian of imperial and modern China, with a particular focus on law, state-building, and China’s global connections. She is the author of State and Family in China: Filial Piety and Its Modern Reform (Cambridge University Press, 2022) and Defining China: From Dynastic State to People’s Republic (Columbia University Press, 2027). She is currently working on two major projects. Twice a Stranger: China, the United States, and Trans-Pacific Travelers follows the intertwined life journeys of six women and men who both shaped and embodied the intimate estrangement between China and the United States. Across the Ages: Legality and Legitimation in Chinese History is a trilogy that investigates three dyads central to Chinese political and social order: “reciprocity” versus “unilateralism” in governance; “ethics” versus “technique” in statecraft; and “morality” versus “glory” in state legitimacy.